p^ 





i&mm 



*? 




M 




* 






THE 



/ 



^J 



CHRISTIAN'S COMPANION 

TO 

Stye Skk anir Slffiktelr ; 

COXTAI5I>-G, 

IN ADDITION TO MANY ORIGINAL PRAYERS, 

A NUMBER SELECTED FROM SOME OP THE MOST 
POPULAR DEVOTIONAL WORKS ? 

UfCLUDIXG 

SOME OCCASIONAL OFFICES, FROM THE 
BOOK. OF COMMON PRAYER. 

TO WHICH IS ADDED 

A VERY CHOICE COLLECTION OF MATTER 
FOR READING, 

WITH SEVERAL ADDRESSES. 



/ B' 



A LAYMAN OF THE EPISCOPAL C] 

Ab o'er the earth the evening dew, 

Or gentle spring's refreshing showers, 
The moistening Balm distil 

To wake to life the drooping flowers, 
So falls upon the sorrowing heart 

The soothing voice of Christian prayer, ^ 
And words of pitying love 

Leave peace and heavenly calmness there 



NEW YORK : 

PUBLISHED BY STANFORD & SWORDS. 

BOSTON: CHARLES STIMPSON. 

PHILADELPHIA: H. HOOKER. 

1853. 




,« 6 



Entered according to Act of Congress, In the year 1853, by Stanford 
and Swords, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of tho 
United States for the Southern District of New York- 



The Lihk <v 
of Do -s 



STEKEdfYp-ETJ At THg 

BOSt05 STEREOTYPE F O U * D ft t i 



^ 0» ™ B "> % s 

g ye have done *o 

? it unto t 

ME. 



€\p Cjjriatura'* (Cnmprmiim, 



" Think not the good, 
The gentle deeds of mercy, thou hast done, 
Shall die forgotten all ; — the poor, the prisoner, 
The fatherless, the friendless, and the widow, 
Who daily own the bounty of thy hand, 
Shall cry to Heaven, and draw a Blessing down.' 



(Dpimra nf tjj* Wnk. 

Bt Mr. , A. M.* 

At the request of the author of the " Christian's 
Companion," I have given the whole a very careful 
and thorough examination. With no prejudice, 
except that induced by the intrinsic merits, beau- 
ties, and excellences of the entire work, as I have 
progressed through its rich and glowing pages, I 
believe it will be a most invaluable accession to the 
religious books now in use, within the sphere of 
Christian duty and benevolence. The character of 
the book, the end it has in view, and its compre- 
hensiveness, so varied and so complete, will render 
it adequate to fill that void which has been so often 
felt by the benevolent Christian in the discharge of 
his duties among the sick and afflicted. To them, 
too, for whom it seems to have been chiefly de- 
signed, for their spiritual benefit and consolation, 
it will prove an instructive, silent, but eloquent 
preacher, pointing them to the Great Source of 
all happiness, directing their steps thereto, en- 
couraging and reviving the drooping spirit, and 
enlightening the hope with a glowing and reliable 
assurance of its full fruition hereafter. 

The Prayers form the best collection I have ever 
read. Besides their literary merit, perspicuity of 
style, &c., for which they excel, they breathe such 
a spirit of fervor, meekness, faith, hope, and peni- 
tence, that they need but be read to be felt. In 

* As the author has not given his name to the public, that 
of the writer of this " Opinion " is purposely withheld also. 

(5) 



6 OPINION OP THE WORK. 

their variety they embrace almost every exigency 
in human life. From the cradle of infancy to the 
death bed of age, from the impenitent to the " saint 
just on the wing for heaven," this book contains 
an appropriate prayer for each and all in affliction. 

The Sabbath School Teacher and Scholar will also 
here find the most beautiful and appropriate prayers 
for their use and benefit. 

The Reading Matter of the work, interspersed 
with appropriate and beautiful poetry, is a Casket 
of Jewels that can make even the pallid brow of 
death radiant with beaming hope and joy. 

No believer of the Bible, even in the vigor of 
health, can read this portion of the book without 
such emotions respecting heaven, eternity, hap- 
piness, and his own immortality, as will make him 
better for having perused it. To the sick and 
afflicted, containing as it does so much of the 
soothing language of the Scriptures, accompanied 
with appropriate encouragements, in the spirit of 
kindness and sincerity, explaining and applying 
the blessed promises of God and the Savior to 
the sick, — I say, I believe, next to the Bible, it will 
be their best book of comfort and consolation. 

The diversity and applicability of its contents to 
the duties of the Pastor will, I am confident, rec- 
ommend it at once to his favor and patronage : 
written in the orthodox doctrines of his faith, he 
will find it a convenient aid to his ministrations 
upon the sick and afflicted. 

In short, this work, from its practical utility, from 
the nature of its objects, from the comprehensive- 
ness and spirit of its contents, strongly commends 
itself to the use and patronage of all ; but especially 
to the Pastor, the Sunday School Teacher, and the 
Sick : to the latter it cannot be too highly recom- 



OPINION OF THE WORK. 7 

mended, as, in my humble opinion, there is not its 
equal of a similar character extant. And when given 
to the public, it oannot fail to accomplish the good 
and administer the comfort for which it was de- 
signed by its benevolent author, — a gentleman of 
the highest standing in the church and community, 
and possessing an extensive and enviable reputa- 
tion for his Christian charity and philanthropy. 
To his acquaintances it is sufficient to say, that 
the book is worthy of its author. 



|farfta. 



The author of this work, having had no knowl- 
edge of any manual of devotion, combining suit- 
able matter for reading and prayer, sufficiently full 
and comprehensive to meet the diversified charac- 
ter and condition of the sick and afflicted, has been 
induced to attempt to supply the want of it by the 
publication of this. 

Suffering and sorrow being the common lot of 
humanity, whatever has a tendency in any measure 
to mitigate or relieve it, cannot be otherwise than 
useful. And calculated as this book is, in the 
hands of the pious and good, and with the blessing 
of God, to produce this effect, he flatters himself 
that it may be the means of promoting, extensively, 
the spiritual and eternal welfare of " the sons and 
daughters of affliction." 

With a view to accommodate it to the use of the 
Clergy in their ministrations on the sick and dy- 
ing, the author has incorporated most of the offices 
for the sick in the Common Prayer Book, together 
with its inimitably beautiful and impressive service 
for the dead. This circumstance, he trusts, in con- 
nection with the suitable adaptation of the rest of 
its contents to the requirements of those who "are 
any ways afflicted or distressed in mind, body, or 
estate," will commend it to their approbation and 
use. To make it the more acceptable to them, and 
also to all others who may be disposed to cooperate 
with them in the godlike work of alleviating the 
distresses of their fellow-creatures, (and many such 
there are in this age of active Christian benevo- 
lence,) he has taken care that the prayers should 

(8) 



be sufficiently various ; and that tne topics of re- 
ligious consolation, and matter for discourse with 
the afflicted, should be copious and appropriate. 
With this view also he has had it put in a form that 
will make it conveniently portable. 

With regard to the devotional part, he would 
here remark, that the prayers are so arranged as to 
admit of their being readily diversified, should 
occasion require, merely by the transposition of 
one or more portions of one prayer to those of 
another. 

In the matter for reading will be found much, 
calculated, not only to instruct and edify, but also 
to excite and foster a spirit of piety and benevo- 
lence, as well as to comfort and encourage those 
who are already engaged in works of charity and 
love. This was inserted with particular reference 
to the young, as many Sunday School Teach- 
ers and others (see the following poetical descrip- 
tion of " the Female Sunday School Teacher ") 
will doubtless have occasion to provide themselves 
with a copy of this work. And for their use also 
it was, that the prayers designed to be offered for 
Sunday Scholars were written. 

In conclusion, the author would take the liberty 
to suggest to all parents the propriety of putting 
at least one copy of this manual in the hands of 
their children, and also of encouraging them in 
the frequent use of it among the many "who are 
in sorrow, trouble, need, sickness, or adversity" of 
any kind. By so doing, not only would they see 
them happy in that " luxury" of feeling which those 
only experience who thus employ themselves, but 
would also be likely to have the satisfaction of hav- 
ing them grow up beautiful ornaments of religion, 
and instruments of good in their generation. And 



10 PREFACE. 

thus doing, they would live in a manner answerable 
to the requirements of Him who himself "went 
about doing good," and who, by the mouth of his 
apostle, has said, "To do good and to communi- 
cate, forget not." 

In the service of mankind to be 
A Guardian Angel here below, — to employ 
Life's fleeting hours in godlike deeds, — 
Such as may raise us above the world, 
And make us shine forever — this is 
The Christian's liee. 



The Female Sunday School Teacher. 

ORIGINAL. 

The last at the foot of the cross, who stood weeping, 

The first at the door of the tomb to proclaim 
Her Savior in death there no longer was sleeping, 

Was pitying woman, who's ever the same. 
It is not the grace of her form, nor her beauty, 

That lends to its influence the power of its charm ; 
A heart that's inclined to love, pity, and duty, 

With virtue, to woman e'er gives the bright palm. 

By nature endowed with kindness and love, 
With sympathies pure, and feelings refined, 

With graces adorned, that flow from above, 
To God and religion her heart e'er inclined, — 

O, who, in the paths of virtue and truth, 

So fitted to lead the child and the youth ! 

The fields of her toil, that are brightest with flowers 
Immortal in beauty, when cultured to bloom, 



PREFACE. 1 1 

And gladden with glory perennial bowers, 

Redeemed from the blight and decay of the tomb, 
Are Sunday School fields, — her pupils the flowers, 
Whoso spirits she nurtures for heavenly bowers. 

Toil on ! for the seed (ere the tares) that is sown, 
Though choked for a while, kind memory will keep, 

And when youthful fancies and follies have flown, 
The fruits of true wisdom and piety will reap ; 

Though bending with age, yet gleaming with gold, 

The harvest shall count to thee, hundreds in fold. 

Toil on ! thou art moulding the pillar of state, — 
Art clothing the warrior in armor of truth ; 

The preacher, the statesman, the good and the great j 
Ml, all thou art fashioning there in the youth. 

O, teach them in faith their Redeemer to love, 

Obedient to God, their Creator, above. 

Toil on ! those sweet flowerets, so lovely in bloom, 
That death hath relentlessly snatched from thy care, 

And, withering, consigned to the dust of the tomb, 
More lovely are blooming in paradise, where 

Sweet voices in anthems of gladness they raise, 

Their Savior and thee, forever to praise. 

Toil on ! those young spirits, so gentle and pure, 
That glow with delight of their Savior to hear, 

Thy teachings will save from the vices that lure j— 
In heaven the robes thou art weaving they'll wear, 

Adorning thy crown with bright jewels that glow, 

Rewarding thy labor in Christ's vineyard below 



Mix in f mt|ns. 



PART FIRST. 

An Office of Devotion, that may be used with the Sick. . 18 

Another Office of Devotion 20 

Forasick Child 22 

For one troubled in Mind or Conscience 22 

For a Case of sudden Surprise, and immediate Danger. . 23 

For a Case of small Hope of Recovery 23 

A commehdatory Prayer at the Point of Departure .... 24 

Thanksgiving for the Beginning of a Recovery 25 

Collects to be used before or after the Prayers 26 

A general Prayer for the Sick 28 

Another general Prayer for the Sick 29 

For a sick Person 30 

For one Very sick, and in much Pain 32 

Another, for one very sick, and in much Pain 33 

For a very sick Person 35 

For one that his Sickness may be sanctified to his Good.. 37 
For Recovery, and for spiritual Consolation and Benefit 39 

For a sick Person — a general Prayer 40 

For a sick Person 41 

A penitential Prayer 42 

For an impenitent Person 44 

For one in a bad State 44 

For an impenitent Sinner 45 

For one who is penitent 47 

Another Prayer for one who is penitent 48 

(12) 



INDEX TO PRAYERS. 13 

For Forgiveness 49 

For one much dejected in Mind 50 

For a sick Person troubled with Doubts and Difficul- 
ties 51 

For a Person in Despondency 53 

For a sick Person of weak Faith 54 

For a sick Person who desireth Pardon 55 

For a sick Person who is in great Want of Sleep 57 

For Consolation 58 

For Submission 59 

Another Prayer for Submission and Resignation 59 

When any Member of the Family is sick 61 

A Prayer under sad Accidents and Disasters befalling 

the Body 61 

For one who has experienced a heavy Affliction, and also 

for the Family 62 

For the Afflicted 64 

Another Prayer for the Afflicted 65 

For one under grievous Pains 65 

A second Prayer for one in great Pain 67 

A third Prayer for one under grievous Pains 69 

For one who cannot unite in the Prayer understand- 

ingly 70 

For one who has experienced Ease, both of Mind and 

Body 71 

For one who has experienced much Relief 73 

Another for one who is much better 71 

Thanksgiving for complete Recovery 76 

Another Thanksgiving for complete Recovery 77 

Thanksgiving for Recovery 78 

A Prayer that may be added to either of the foregoing. 79 

For a young Person who is sick 79 

For a sick Child 81 

A second Prayer 81 

A third Prayer 83 



14 INDEX TO PRATERS. 

For a Child that is likely to die 83 

For a Sunday School Scholar, very sick 84 

For a Sunday School Scholar of responsible Age, sick 

and anxious about the Salvation of his Soul. 85 

For a Sunday School Scholar, sick and penitent 86 

For a Sunday School Scholar of responsible Age, sick 

unto Death, and without Hope in Christ 87 

For a Sunday School Teacher in Sickness and Pain .... 88 
For a Family, suddenly bereaved of a Child by Acci- 
dent 90 

For a Family, of which two or more are sick with a 

contagious Disease 91 

A Prayer with a Family 93 

Another Prayer with a Family 95 

For a Sunday School Scholar, sick and in great Pain .... 96 
For a Sunday School Scholar, in a protracted Illness, 

with slight Hopes of Recovery 97 

For a Sunday School Scholar in Pain, who has recently 

met with a severe Accident 98 

For a Person who is very sick 100 

For one very ill 101 

Another for one very ill 103 

For one dangerously ill 104 

Another for one dangerously ill 105 

For one very sick, that he may be resigned to die 106 

For a due Preparation for Death 107 

A Prayer with one who has Thoughts of being baptized. 108 

A Prayer with one who desires Baptism 110 

A Prayer with a baptized Person, in Relation to the 

Lord's Supper Ill 

For a dying Man past Hope of Recovery 112 

For one dying 113 

For one past Hope of Recovery 115 

For a dying Person 116 

Prayer that may be used with some of the preceding 



INDEX TO PRATERS. 15 



Prayers, when there appears but little Hope of Re- 
covery 116 

Prayers that may be added, either separately or entire. . . 117 
Prayer that can be added to some other Prayer for one 

who is very sick 118 

Prayer to be used after the Departure of the Soul 118 

A Prayer for the Family of the Deceased 119 

Another Prayer for the Family of the Deceased 119 

On the Death of a Friend 120 

After the Death of a Friend or Relative 120 

A Prayer that may be added 121 

Another, that may be said after the Death of a Person . . 122 

After the Death of a Neighbor 122 

After the Death of a Child, or on Occasion of a Fu- 
neral 123 

Another, upon the Death of a Christian Friend 124 

A Prayer for a Family on Occasion of the Death of 
one of its Members. It may be used also before the 

Funeral 125 

One or more of he following may be used in connec- 
tion with the above, as the circumstances of the 
case may be. For the Husband of a deceased 

Wife 127 

For the Wife of a deceased Husband 127 

For the Children 127 

A Prayer that may be said either before or after a Fu- 
neral 128 

Another, to be used before a Funeral, or after the De- 
cease of a Person 129 

The Order for the Burial of the Dead 131 

Funeral Hymns 138 

I 



"Sickness and affliction weigh down the spirit of man, 
and prostrate all his powers. Hence he requires all that 
human sympathy and friendship can give him. And never 
is man seen in a more amiable and benevolent character 
than when ministering to the distresses of his fellow-man, 
and compassionating him by the compassion wherewith he 
himself has been compassionated of God." 

" Taught by that Power that pities me, 
I learn to pity them." 



(16) 



St)e iujrurg of Hufurfea. 

Go thou and wipe away the tear which dims the widow's 

eye, 
Be a father to the fatherless, and still the orphan's sigh ; 
Help thou thy brother in distress, with open hand and heart ; 
But do thou this when seen by none save Him who dwells 

apart. 
Rejoice with those of spirits glad; upraise the drooping 

head, 
And to the wretched, let thy words bring back the hope 

long fled. 
Forgive as thou wouldst be forgiven, and for thy fellows 

live ; 
Be happy in the happiness thou canst to others give. 
These are the heavenly luxuries the poorest can enjoy j 
These are the blissful banquets of which none can ever cloy. 
Rich and poor, old and young, know this, as well ye should : 
The Luxuet of Luxuries is that of doiwg good. 

2 (17) 



fart fmt 



AN OFFICE OF DEVOTION, THAT MAT BE USED 
WITH THE SICK. 

¥E bow down before thee, Lord of heaven 
and earth, acknowledging that we are but 
dust, and unworthy to speak to thee either for 
ourselves or others. 

And yet, notwithstanding our un worthiness, we 
are encouraged by thy gracious promises and en- 
dearing goodness to approach thy throne of mercy 
with hope and confidence, and to supplicate thy 
favor in behalf of this thy sick servant. 

Let thy merciful ears, Lord, be now open to 
our prayers ; and that we may obtain our petitions, 
make us to ask such things as please thee, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. 

O Lord, look down from heaven, we humbly 
beseech thee : behold, visit, and relieve this thy sick 
servant, in whose behalf we now pray. Look upon 
him with the eyes of thy mercy, comfort him with 
a sense of thy goodness, preserve him from the 
temptation of the enemy, and keep him in peace 
and safety, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Here use what follows, or such otlier Prayers in this book 
as may be suitable. 

HEAR us, almighty and most merciful God and 
Savior; extend thy accustomed goodness to 
this thy servant, whom thou hast afflicted with 
sickness. Sanctify this thy fatherly correction to 

y ad 
18) 



PRAYERS. 19 

strength to his faith, and seriousness to his repent- 
ance ; that if it shall be thy good pleasure to re- 
store him to his former health, he may lead the 
residue of his life in thy fear, and to thy glory ; or 
else give him grace so to take thy visitation, that, 
after this painful life ended, he may dwell with 
thee in life everlasting, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. 

And 0, merciful Father, who, according to the 
multitude of thy mercies, doth so put away the sins of 
those who truly repent, that thou rememberest them 
no more, freely and fully forgive him all his past 
sins. Renew in him whatever has been decayed by 
the fraud and malice of the devil, or by his own 
carnal will and frailness ; preserve and continue 
him in the unity of the Church ; consider his con- 
trition, accept his tears, assuage his pains, and bless 
the means for his recovery, as shall seem to thee 
most expedient And forasmuch as he putteth his 
full trust only in thy mercy, impute not unto him 
his former sins, but strengthen him with thy blessed 
spirit; and whensoever thou art pleased to take him 
hence, take him unto thyself, for the merits of 
Jesus Christ our Lord. 

O God, whose days are without end, and whose 
mercies cannot be numbered, make us all, we be- 
seech thee, deeply sensible of the shortness and 
uncertainty of human life ; and let thy Holy Spirit 
lead us through this vale of misery, in holiness and 
righteousness, all our days ; that when we shall 
have served thee in our generation, we may be 
gathered unto our fathers, having the testimony of 
a good conscience; in the communion of the cath- 
olic Church ; in the confidence of a certain faith ; 
in the comfort of a reasonable, religious hope ; in 
favor with thee, our God, and in perfect charity with 



20 PRATERS. 

the world ; all which we ask for the sake of Jesus 
Christ our Lord. 

And now, unto thy gracious mercy and protec- 
tion, O God, we commend this thy sick servant. 
May the Lord bless and keep him ; may the Lord 
make his face to shine upon him, and be gracious 
unto him ; may the Lord lift up his countenance 
upon him, and give him peace now and evermore. 
Amen. 

ANOTHER OFFICE OF DEVOTION. 

All present vrill join in the general Confession, as follows : — 

ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, we 
have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost 
sheep. We have followed too much the devices 
and desires of our own hearts. We have offended 
against thy holy laws. We have left undone those 
things which we ought to have done, and we have 
done those things which we ought not to have done ; 
and there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have 
mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou 
those, O God, who confess their faults. Kestore 
thou those who are penitent, according to thy 
promises, declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus 
our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for 
his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, 
righteous, and sober life, to the glory of thy holy 
Name. Amen. 

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who of thy 
great mercy hath promised forgiveness of sins to 
all those who, with hearty repentance and true faith, 
turn unto thee, have mercy upon us ; pardon and 
deliver us from all our sins ; confirm and strength- 
en us in all goodness ; and bring us to everlasting 
life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 



PRATER8. 21 







Here use the following, and one or more in this book. 
FATHER of mercies, and God of all comfort, 



our only help in time of need ; we humbly be- 
seech thee to behold, visit, and relieve thy sick ser- 
vant, for whom our prayers are desired. Look upon 
him with the eyes of thy mercy ; comfort him with 
a 6ense of thy goodness 5 preserve him from the 
temptations of the enemy ; give him patience un- 
der his affliction 5 and in thy good time restore him 
to health, and enable him to live the residue of his 
life in thy fear and to thy glory. Or else give him 
grace so to take thy visitation, that, after this pain- 
ful life ended, he may dwell with thee in life ever- 
lasting, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

WE humbly beseech thee, O Father, mercifully to 
look upon our infirmities ; and for the glory of 
thy name turn from this thy sick servant, and from 
all who are here present, all those evils which we 
most justly deserve ; and grant, that in all our 
troubles we may put our whole trust and confidence 
in thy mercy, and evermore serve thee in holiness, 
and pureness of living, to thy honor and glory, 
through our only Mediator and Advocate, Jesus 
Christ 

ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us grace at 
this time, with one accord, to make these our 
supplications unto thee, and dost promise that, when 
two or three are gathered together in thy name, 
thou wilt grant their requests, fulfil now, we be- 
seech thee, the desires and petitions of thy servants, 
as in thine infinite wisdom thou shalt see fit, for the 
sake of thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 



22 



FOR A SICK CHILD. 

ALMIGHTY God and merciful Father, to 
whom alone belong the issues of life and death, 
look down from heaven, we humbly beseech thee, 
with the eyes of mercy, upon this child now lying 
upon the bed of sickness. Visit him, O Lord, with 
thy salvation ; deliver him in thy good appointed 
time from his bodily pain, and save his soul, for thy 
mercies' sake j that, if it shall be thy pleasure to 
prolong his days here on earth, he may live to thee, 
and be an instrument of thy glory by serving thee 
faithfully, and doing good in his generation; or 
else receive him in those heavenly habitations, 
where the souls of those who sleep in Jesus enjoy 
perpetual rest and felicity. Grant this, O Lord, 
for thy mercies' sake, in the same Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 

FOB ONE TROUBLED IN MIND OR CONSCIENCE. 

BLESSED Lord, the Father of mercies, and 
the God of all comfort, we beseech thee to look 
down in pity and compassion upon this thy afflicted 
servant. Thou writest bitter things against him, 
and makest him to possess his former iniquities ; 
thy wrath lieth hard upon him, and his soul is full 
of trouble. But, merciful God, who hast written 
thy holy Word for our learning, that we, through 
patience and comfort of thy holy Scriptures, might 
have hope, give him a right understanding of him- 
self, and of thy threats and promises, that he may 
neither cast away his confidence in thee, nor place 
it any where but in thee. Give him strength under 
all his temptations, and heal all his distempers. 
Break not the bruised reed, nor quench the smok- 
ing flax. Shut not up thy tender mercies in dis- 



PRAYERS. 23 

pleasure, but make him to hear of joy and glad- 
ness, that the bones which thou hast broken may 
rejoice. Deliver him from fear of the enemy, and 
lift up the light of thy countenance upon him, and 
give him peace, for the merits and mediation of 
thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

FOR A CASE OF SUDDEN SURPRISE, AND IMME- 
DIATE DANGER. 

OMOST gracious Father, we fly unto thee for 
mercy in behalf of this thy servant, here lying 
under the sudden visitation of thy hand. If it be 
thy will, preserve his life, that there may be place 
for repentance ; but if thou hast otherwise appoint- 
ed, let thy mercy supply to him the want of the 
usual opportunity for the trimming of his lamp. 
Stir up in him such sorrow for sin, and such fervent 
love to thee, as may, in a short time, do the work 
of many days ; that among the praises which thy 
saints and holy angels shall sing to the honor of 
thy mercy, through eternal ages, it may be to thy 
unspeakable glory that thou hast redeemed the soul 
of this thy servant from eternal death, and made 
him partaker of the everlasting life, which is 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

FOR A CASE OF SMALL HOPE OF RECOVERY. 

FATHER of mercies and God of all comfort, 
our only help in time of need, we fly unto thee 
for succor in behalf of this thy servant, here lying 
under thy hand in great weakness of body. Look 
graciously upon him, O Lord ; and the more the 
outward man decayeth, strengthen him, we beseech 
thee, so much the more continually with thy grace 
and Holy Spirit in the inner man. Give him un- 



24 PRAYERS. 

feigned repentance for all the errors of his life past, 
and steadfast faith in thy Son Jesus Christ ; that 
his sins may be done away by thy mercy, and his 
pardon sealed in heaven before he go hence and 
be no more seen. We know, O Lord, that with 
thee nothing is impossible, and that if thou wilt 
thou canst even yet raise him up, and grant him a 
longer continuance amongst us ; yet, forasmuch as 
in all appearance the time of his dissolution draws 
near, so fit and prepare him, we beseech thee, 
against the hour of death, that after his departure 
hence in peace, and in thy favor, his soul may be 
received into thine everlasting kingdom, through 
the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thine 
only Son our Lord and Savior. Amen. 

A COMMENDATORY PRAYER AT THE POINT OP 
DEPARTURE. 

ALMIGHTY God, with whom do live the 
spirits of just men made perfect, after they are 
delivered from their earthly prisons, we humbly 
commend the soul of this thy servant into thy 
hands, as into the hands of a faithful Creator and 
most merciful Savior, most humbly beseeching 
thee that it may be precious in thy sight. Wash 
it, we pray thee, in the blood of that immacu- 
late Lamb that was slain to take away the sins of 
the world ; that whatever defilements it may have 
contracted in the midst of this miserable and naugh- 
ty world, through the lusts of the flesh or the wiles 
of Satan, being purged and done away, it may be 
presented pure and without spot before thee. And 
teach us who survive, in this and other like daily 
spectacles of mortality, to see how frail and uncer- 
tain our own condition is, and so to number our 



PRATERS. 25 

days that we may seriously apply our hearts to 
that wisdom, whilst we live here, which may in the 
end bring us to life everlasting, through the merits 
of Jesus Christ, thine only Son our Lord. 

The following may be added. 

O God, whose days, &c. (See page 19.) 

A THANKSGIVING FOR THE BEGINNING OF A 
RECOVERT. 

GREAT and mighty God, who bringest down to 
the grave and bringest up again, we bless thy 
wonderful goodness for having turned our heavi- 
ness into joy, and our mourning into gladness, by 
restoring this our brother to some degree of his 
former health. Blessed be thy name, that thou 
didst not forsake him in his sickness, but didst visit 
him with comforts from above, didst support him 
in patience and submission to thy will, and at last 
didst send him seasonable relief. Perfect, we be- 
seech thee, this thy mercy towards him, and pros- 
per the means which shall be made use of for his 
cure ; that, being restored to health of body, vigor 
of mind, and cheerfulness of spirit, he may be able 
to go to thine house, to offer thee an oblation with 
great gladness, and to bless thy holy name for all 
thy goodness towards him, through Jesus Christ 
our Savior, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, 
be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen* 



26 PRATEKS. 

Collects. 

The following may be used before or after any other Prayer 
1. 

OLOKD, we beseech thee mercifully to hear our 
prayers, and spare all those who confess their 
sins unto thee ; that they whose consciences by sin 
are accused, by thy merciful pardon may be ab- 
solved, through Christ Jesus our Lord. 



ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hatest 
nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive 
the sins of all those who are penitent, create in us 
new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting 
our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may 
obtain of thee, who aboundest in mercy, perfect 
remission and forgiveness, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. 

3. 

OMOST mighty God and merciful Father, who 
hast compassion upon all men, and hatest noth- 
ing that thou hast made ; who wouldest not the death 
of a sinner, but that he should turn from his sin and 
be saved ; mercifully forgive us our trespasses, re- 
lieve and comfort us who are grieved and wearied 
with the burden of our sins. Thy property is al- 
ways to have mercy ; to thee only doth it apper- 
tain to forgive sins. Spare us therefore, good 
Lord, whom thou hast redeemed. Enter not into 
judgment with thy servants, who are miserable 
sinners, but so turn thine anger from us, who meek- 
ly acknowledge our vileness, and truly repent us 
of our faults, that we may ever live with thee in 



PRATERS. 27 

the world to come, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

4. 

MERCIFUL God, the Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, who is the resurrection and the 
life, we beseech thee to raise us from the death of 
sin to the life of righteousness ; that at the general 
resurrection, at the last day, we may be found ac- 
ceptable in thy sight, and have our perfect con- 
summation and bliss, both in body and soul, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

5. 

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who art al- 
ways more ready to hear than we to pray, and art 
wont to give more than either we desire or deserve, 
pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy, 
forgiving us those things whereof our consciences 
are afraid, and giving us those good things which 
we are not worthy to receive but through the 
merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord. 



WE humbly beseech thee, Father, mercifully 
to look upon our infirmities, and for the glory 
of thy name turn from us all those evils which we 
have justly deserved ; and grant that, in all our 
troubles, we may put our whole trust in thy mercy, 
and evermore serve thee in holiness of life, to thy 
honor and glory, through our only Mediator and 
Advocate, Jesus Christ our Lord. 

7. 

ALMIGHTY God, the fountain of all wisdom, 
who knowest our necessities before we ask, and 



28 PRAYERS. 

our ignorance in asking, we beseech thee to have 
compassion upon our infirmities, and those things 
which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for 
our blindness we cannot ask, vouchsafe to give us, 
for the merits of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the 
love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, 
be with us all evermore. Amen. 



ifHfscellatteotiH $tajers. 

A GENERAL PRATER FOR THE SICK. 
By Rev. Dr. Berrian. 

ALMIGHTY God and most merciful Father, 
whose never-failing providence ordereth all 
things, both in heaven and in earth, we humble 
ourselves before thee with the deepest reverence, 
acknowledging that, even in thy severest dispensa- 
tions, thou hast kind intentions and gracious de- 
signs towards us. Visit and behold this thy ser- 
vant, upon whom thou hast laid thine afflicting 
hand. Sanctify, we beseech thee, thy fatherly cor- 
rection to him, and grant that he may receive it 
with meekness, and bear it with patience. Suffer 
him not, Lord, to murmur or repine either at the 
length or severity of his trials ; but let all thy vis- 
itations be so blessed to him by the aids and com- 
forts of thy Holy Spirit, as to be the means of 
weaning him from the world, of bringing him 
nearer to thyself, and of purifying his soul from 
all the dross and defilement which it may have con- 
tracted in this sinful life. We know, Father, 



PRAYERS. 29 

that thou dost not willingly afflict and grieve the 
children of men, and that thou of thy goodness 
hast caused thy servant to be troubled. 0, grant 
him such a measure of thy grace as may enable 
him cheerfully to submit his will to thine ; and if, 
in the days of health and happiness, he hath at any 
time forgotten thee, and turned aside unto vanity 
and folly, merciful Father, let not his past faults 
provoke thee to turn away thy face from him, now 
that he flies unto thee in the time of his trouble. 
Shut not up thy tender mercies in displeasure, but 
for the merits and intercession of thy dear Son, 
pardon all his sins, and restore him to thy love and 
favor. Lord, support him under all his pains 
and infirmities ; strengthen his faith, enliven his 
hopes, increase his charity, and perfect his repent- 
ance ; make thou his bed in his sickness, and lay 
not more upon him than thou wilt enable him to 
bear. Give thy blessing to the means that may be 
used for his recovery : that if it be thy good pleas- 
ure to restore him to his former health, he may lead 
the residue of his life in thy fear, and to thy glory. 
But if thou hast otherwise determined, grant that 
the more the outward man decayeth, so much the 
more the inner man may be strengthened and re- 
newed by thy Holy Spirit ; and give him grace so 
to take thy visitation, that, after this painful life 
ended, he may dwell with thee in life everlasting, 
through the merits and mediation of our Lord and 
Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. 

ANOTHER GENERAL PRATER FOR THE SICK. 

ALMIGHTY and most gracious Lord God, 
with whom are the appointments of life and 
death, we humbly beseech thee to give this thy sick 
servant grace to consider that his sickness is of thy 



30 PRATERS. 

sending', to cure his spiritual diseases, and to ac- 
knowledge the justice, as well as the mercy, of thy 
visitation in his sufferings. Let this trial of him, 
O Lord, not fail in answering the gracious pur- 
pose for which it was sent ; bring to his mind all 
such considerations as may raise him above all 
discouragements and fear. " Let his thoughts, un- 
der this visitation, be only those of love and thank- 
fulness, resignation and obedience, humility and 
hope in thy mercy. Give him a full trust in thy 
most gracious promises of forgiveness, and enable 
him to bear this visitation with becoming fortitude 
and resignation. 

Father of mercies and God of all comfort, have 
pity and compassion upon him, we pray thee ; and 
out of pity to his weakness, lessen his troubles, and 
support him under them. Keep him ever submis- 
sive to thy will, and give him patience. Let thy 
blessing accompany all the means which may be 
used for his welfare and recovery. Put an end in 
thy due time to his disease, and either restore him 
to health and ease, or else prepare him for a happy 
and comfortable death. All which we humbly ask 
for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. 

FOR A SICK PERSON. 

ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, in whose 
hand our breath is, and whose are all our ways, 
we kneel down before thee humbly to supplicate 
thee in behalf of this person, here lying on the bed 
of pain and sickness. 

In submission to thy will, we humbly pray thee 
to restore him again to health. Thou only, OLord, 
canst heal him. Be pleased, therefore, to rebuke 
his distemper, and to bless the means which may 
be used for his recovery. Show thy power and thy 



PRAYER8. 31 

glory in raising him from this bed of sickness, in 
prolonging his days, and in making him a monu- 
ment of thy saving mercy in Christ Jesus. 

But, O merciful Father, however thou mayest 
see fit to deal with him in regard to his body, grant 
that this sickness may be sanctified to the good of 
his soul. And may it be so sanctified as to work 
in him deep conviction of sin, unfeigned repent- 
ance towards thee, and steadfast faith in the Lord 
Jesus Christ. May it be the blessed means of pro- 
ducing in him all the virtues and graces of the 
Christian life, and so accomplish the end for which 
it was sent. Thus may it work for good in the 
issue, and give him cause to say, with the Psalmist, 
" It is good for me that I have been afflicted." 

While this sickness continueth, be pleased to be 
with him in spirit, to comfort and support him. 
Proportion thy grace to his necessities, and enable 
him to endure what thou layest upon him. Endue 
his soul with patience under his affliction, and with 
resignation to thy blessed will. Pardon all his 
sins, comfort him with a sense of thy goodness, 
and give him peace. Whatever of good is fitting 
for us to ask, and for him to receive, we humbly 
pray thee to bestow upon him, for the sake of Jesus 
Christ our Lord. 

Whatever may be the issue of this sickness, O 
Lord, give him grace so to take the same, that, after 
this painful life ended, he may dwell with thee in 
life everlasting, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Sanctify this affliction to the good of this family, 
[or all present.] May it tend to weaken their at- 
tachment to the world^ and to elevate their thoughts 
and desires to heaven. Help them to set loose to 
the world and its enjoyments, to love and serve 
thee supremely, and at all times so carefully and 



32 PRATERS. 

watchfully to live, that sickness or death may not 
surprise them unawares, or find them unprepared. 
Let thy Holy Spirit be ever with them, and lead 
them through this vale of sin in righteousness and 
holiness all their days, that finally they may attain 
the land of peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

FOR ONE VERT SICK, AND IN MUCH PAIN. 

ALMIGHTY God, the Father of mercies and 
God of all comfort and consolation, our only 
help in time of need, we now come before thee to 
supplicate thee in behalf of this thy sick servant. 
Gracious art thou, O Lord, and merciful, full of 
compassion, and of great goodness. Thou dost not 
willingly afflict or grieve the children of men, but 
doest it only for their good. Wherefore we pray 
thee, heavenly Father, to sanctify this thy fatherly 
visitation to him ; may it awaken in his mind a 
lively sense of the shortness and uncertainty of life, 
and of the vast importance of being prepared for 
the future world. Dispose him now to give all 
diligence to make his calling and election sure. 
Grant that his prayers for improvement by it may 
be as earnest and sincere as those for his delivery 
from it ; and, if consistent with thy gracious de- 
signs in regard to him, we humbly pray thee, heav- 
enly Father, without whom the power of art and 
medicine are of no avail, to give thy blessing to the 
means that are used for his recovery. Spare him, 
good Lord, and restore him again to health ; and 
should his sufferings at any time increase, let the 
consolations of thy Spirit increase also. Vouch- 
safe unto him that ease and relief which his case 
requires, and which we cannot render. Deal very 
gently and tenderly with him, most merciful Fa- 



PRATERS. 



33 



ther, and lay not more upon him than thou wilt 
enable him to bear ; and may he have grace to be 
perfectly submissive at all times to thy most right- 
eous will, in the confidence that thou doest all things 
well, and that thou lovest those whom thou afflict- 
est. Pardon all his sins ; create in him a clean 
heart, and renew a right spirit within him. Hear 
and answer all his prayers, and bestow upon him 
whatever in thy wisdom thou seest best for him ; 
all which we ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. 

Grant unto us all, who are here present, a due 
improvement of this sickness. May it teach us 
justly to appreciate the blessing of health, and of 
bodily enjoyment, and the propriety of evidencing 
our gratitude for the same, by living in accordance 
with thy blessed will. May the view of thy afflic- 
tive dispensations towards the children of men dis- 
pose us to moderate our desires with regard to this 
world, to keep our hearts with all diligence, and to 
run with patience the race which is set before us ; 
not expecting too much from any thing this world 
can offer us, but ever looking forward to the time 
when we must lie down upon the bed of sickness 
and death ; and endeavor so to order all our ways, 
that our last hours may be full of peace, and our 
final recompense an eternal weight of glory, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. All which we 
ask, &c. 



FOR ONE VERT SICK, AND IN MUCH PAIN. 

LORD, thou hast taught us in thy word, that " if 
any are afflicted, they should pray." Agreeably 
to thy merciful will and direction, we now bow 
down before thee to present our earnest and affec- 
tionate prayers in behalf of this thy servant, whom 
thou hast laid upon the bed of affliction. 
3 



34 PRATERS. 

We are not worthy, O Lord, to implore the 
smallest blessing at thy hand. We therefore come 
before thee in the name of Jesus, the Friend of sin- 
ners, and our Advocate with thee ; for his sake, we 
beseech thee to grant the petitions we now ask of 
thee. 

Lord, look down from heaven, we beseech thee, 
behold, visit, and relieve this thy sick servant. 
Thou knowest, Lord, that human strength is weak- 
ness, and that without thee we can do nothing. O, 
then, prosper and bless, we pray thee, the means 
which are used for alleviating and removing his 
disorder ; and, inasmuch as his pain and weakness 
are great, vouchsafe unto him that sensible ease and 
relief which his case requires, and which we cannot 
render. In all the pains of the body, in all the 
disquietudes of the mind, do thou, Lord, comfort 
and support him. Make him to taste and feel that 
thou art gracious, and that thou hast power to com- 
fort those who are cast down. Be very merciful to 
him, O Lord, and either lighten his affliction, or 
give him grace to bear it. And now, while in the 
furnace of affliction, do thou, Lord, purify him 
from every impurity. May it be the means of pu- 
rifying his affections, of strengthening his faith and 
trust, of confirming his hope, and of making him 
meet for thy heavenly kingdom. Bless it, we pray 
thee, to the thorough preparation of his soul for thy 
presence hereafter. 

And seeing, God, that he trusts entirely to the 
merits of his Savior for pardon and salvation, we 
beseech thee to grant unto him free and full for- 
giveness of all his sins ; and not only so, but to 
make him know and feel that thou hast forgiven 
him, that thou art perfectly at peace with him, and 
that thou wilt finally receive him into thy heavenly 



PKATERS. 35 

habitations. Increase his faith and hope, and fill 
him with all joy and peace in believing. 

To thy merciful providence we now commend 
him, in humble confidence that thou wilt hear our 
prayers, and that thou wilt order all things right 
and well in regard to him. Fit and prepare him, 
we pray thee, for whatever in thy wisdom thou 
mayest see fit to lay upon him ; and if it be thy 
will that his health be restored, may his love to thee 
increase, and may the remainder of his days be 
spent in thy service and to thy glory. Or if it be 
thy pleasure that his days here shall not be pro- 
longed, give him grace so to take thy visitation, 
that after this painful life ended he may dwell with 
thee in life everlasting, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 

FOR A VERT SICK PERSON. 

OLORD, thou hast taught us in thy word " that 
vain is the help of man ; " and vain, alas ! do 
we find it to be, in regard to any thing we can do 
towards alleviating or removing the disorder of 
this thy afflicted servant. Without thy aid and 
blessing, our best efforts are of no avail. 

We rejoice, however, to know that in thee we 
have a friend who is both able and willing to help ; 
and not only so, but who has actually promised to 
do abundantly, above all we can ask or think. 
Yea. we rejoice that we have a compassionate and 
merciful Savior ; one who is " touched with a feel- 
ing of our infirmities, and who is ever ready to 
succor them that are afflicted." 

Wherefore unto thee, O Lord, do we now come, 
humbly and earnestly to supplicate thy aid in be- 
half of this our sick friend. Be gracious unto him, 



36 PRATERS. 

Lord ; be gracious unto him, and vouchsafe unto 
him that ease and relief which his case requires, 
and which none of us are able to give. Now that 
his sufferings abound, let thy consolations abound 
also. Be very merciful to him, Lord, seeing he 
trusteth in thee, and in thy gracious promises. 
Thy presence, Lord, can make even this bed of 
pain comfortable. 0, then, visit him, we beseech 
thee, with the strengthening and consoling influ- 
ences of thy Spirit, and make all his bed in his 
sickness. Cheer him, Lord, with the light of 
thy countenance. Comfort him with a sense of 
thy goodness : yea, cause him to rejoice and glory 
in his sufferings, and with the apostle to say, " As 
the sufferings of Christ abound in me, so also do 
his consolations ; " " When I am weak, then am I 
strong." In all the pains of his body, in all the 
weakness of his mind, do thou, Lord, comfort 
and support him. 

"We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. 

Graciously hear us, Christ ; graciously hear us, 
Lord Christ. ' 

God, merciful Father, whose ears are ever open 
to the prayers of the needy and the sorrowful, 
mercifully accept the supplications which we now 
offer unto thee in behalf of this thy afflicted servant, 
and vouchsafe unto him whatever in thy wisdom 
thou mayest see needful for him. We believe that 
thou knowest what is best for him and his friends, 
and that thou wilt do what is best for both. Help 
us, therefore, to be patient and resigned under this 
dispensation, and from our hearts to say, " Father, 
not our will, but thine be done." 

To thy merciful care and keeping we now com- 
mend him. If it please thee, deliver him in thy 
good appointed time from his bodily pains, and 



PRATERS. 37 

visit him with thy salvation, that, his days upon 
earth being prolonged, he may live to thee, and be 
an instrument to thy glory, by serving thee faith- 
fully, and by doing good in his generation ; or else 
receive him in those heavenly habitations where 
the souls of those who sleep in Jesus enjoy per- 
petual rest and felicity — even in that blessed 
place where the inhabitants shall no more say, " I 
am sick ; " where " there is no more sorrow" nor 
sighing ; and where tears are wiped away from all 
faces." Grant these petitions, O Father, for Jesus 
Christ's sake. Amen. 



FOR ONE, THAT HIS SICKNESS MAT BE SANCTI- 
FIED TO HIS GOOD. 

ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, the aid of 
all who need, and the helper of all who flee 
unto thee for succor, look down from heaven, we 
humbly beseech thee : behold, visit, and relieve this 
thy sick servant, in whose behalf we would now 
pray. 

In thy wisdom, Lord, thou hast seen fit to visit 
him with sickness, and to bring distress upon him. 
Righteous art thou in all thy dealings, and true and 
just in all thy ways. Thou never afflictest but for 
our good, and much less than our sins deserve. 
We pray thee, therefore, that thou wilt sanctify this 
sickness to the good of this person, and that it may 
redound to his spiritual and eternal benefit. May 
it serve to detach his affections from this world, 
and to fasten them on a better. May it work in 
him, too, a deep conviction of sin, unfeigned re- 
pentance towards thee, and a saving faith in the 
Lord Jesus. Lord, while now in the furnace of 
affliction, be pleased so to purify him that he may 



3$ PRAYERS. 

come forth from the same, free from the dross of 
sin and impurity. Fit him, Lord, for living or 
dying, that it may be unto him " Christ to live, 
and gain to die." Thus may this sickness prove to 
him a blessing in disguise, and so may he see that 
thou of very faithfulness hast caused him to be in 
trouble. 

Heavenly Father, we humbly ask thy blessing 
upon the means used for his recovery. Have com- 
passion upon him, Lord, and restore him again 
to health, that he may have a longer opportunity 
to improve himself in piety and virtue, and to pre- 
pare himself for thy heavenly kingdom. Freely 
and fully forgive him all his past sins, for Christ's 
sake. Be with him while on this bed of pain and 
sickness, to comfort and support him. Enable him 
to exercise patience and resignation to thy blessed 
will. Preserve him from the temptation of the 
enemy, and from every evil. Help him to exercise 
an unbounded trust in thy goodness and mercy, in 
the confidence that thou doest all things well, and 
that thou lovest those whom thou afflictest. These 
things, and whatever else thou mayest see good for 
him, we humbly pray thee to bestow upon him, for 
Christ's sake. Amen. 

And grant, Lord, that each and all of us, in 
our best estate of health, may seriously consider, 
and continually remember, how frail and uncertain 
our condition is. May none of us boast ourselves 
of to-morrow, nor forget our dependence upon thee, 
but give all diligence to make our calling and elec- 
tion sure. Raise us all, we pray thee, from the 
death of sin to the life of righteousness, that when 
we depart this life, we may be received by thee in 
thy eternal kingdom, for the sake of Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 



PRAYERS. 39 



FOR RECOVERY, AND FOR SPIRITUAL CONSOLA- 
TION AND BENEFIT. 

MOST merciful Father, look graciously, we pray 
thee, upon this person, whom, in thy wisdom, 
thou hast seen fit to visit with sickness, and give 
thy blessing to the means which are used for his 
recovery. In submission to thy will, we beg this 
mercy at thy hands. Thou only, Lord, canst 
heal him. Spare him, therefore, good Lord, and 
restore him again to health. His life, is in thy 
hands 5 may it be precious in thy sight. Comfort 
our hearts, we pray thee, by granting him a longer 
continuance amongst us. 

Lord, he is sensible that he has no power to help 
himself; all his trust is in thee, and in thy prom- 
ises. Vouchsafe unto him, therefore, such help, 
both for his soul and body, as thou seest fitting for 
him. Support him by thy grace under all his pains, 
and suffer him not at any time to sink under the 
weight of them. Make him ready and willing to 
yield to thy wisdom, to prefer thy will to his own, 
to be contented to bear what thou pleasest, and to 
be eased of his burden when thou seest fit. May 
he be perfectly submissive to thy holy will ; and 
may this affliction of his body be so sanctified to 
his good, as to work for him a far more exceeding 
and eternal weight of glory. May it be the means 
of bringing him nearer to thyself, and of qualify- 
ing him for the enjoyment of those pleasures which 
thou hast in reserve for the righteous hereafter. 

And, O God, should it be thy will that this sick- 
ness result in death, may it please thee to fit and 
prepare him for that solemn event. Grant unto 
him unfeigned repentance for all his sins, and an 



40 PRATERS. 

assured interest in the blood of Christ. May he 
have a well-grounded hope and a lively faith ; and 
may he be a meet partaker of the inheritance of 
the saints in light. 

And let it be the anxious concern of us all, O 
God, to serve and please thee. Give us grace to 
live as those who are born to die, and whose spirits 
must soon depart into the eternal world. Grant 
that the shortness of life may continually remind 
us of its importance, and the uncertainty of its 
continuance make us ever ready and prepared for 
its end. 

Look graciously, O Lord, upon this afflicted 
family. Sanctify this affliction to them, and while 
it continueth, enable them to bear it with calmness 
and patience, in the confidence that thou doest all 
things well, and that thou wilt overrule all for good 
in regard to them. Hear and accept their prayers, 
and bestow upon them every spiritual and tempo- 
ral good thing, for the sake of our common Savior 
and Redeemer. Amen. 

TOR A SICK PERSON — A GENERAL PRATER. 

OGOD, whose never-failing providence ordereth 
all things in heaven and in earth, look with 
pity, we beseech thee, upon this thy servant, upon 
whom thou hast laid thine afflicting hand. Sanc- 
tify thy fatherly correction to him, and enable him 
to bear it with patience and resignation. May it 
be the means of weaning him from the world, of 
bringing him nearer to thyself, and of purging 
away the dross and defilement which his soul has 
contracted in this sinful world. Pardon, we pray 
thee, all his sins, strengthen his faith, confirm his 
hope, increase his charity, and perfect his repent* 



PRAYERS. '4l 

ance. Give thy blessing to the means used for his 
recovery, and in thy good time restore him to his 
former health, that he may lead the residue of his 
life in thy fear, and to thy glory. And in the mean 
while, may he so diligently improve this visitation, 
as that, shouldst thou see fit to spare him, he may 
be an example of one who has profited by the 
same, and henceforth serve thee in righteousness 
and holiness all the days of his life, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. 

We commend to thy fatherly care and protection 
all the sick and afflicted. Give them grace as they 
may severally stand in need, and oz-der all things 
for their present and eternal good. May they re- 
ceive thy chastisement as the loving correction of 
a kind and merciful Father, who dost chasten them 
only for their profit, and that they may be par- 
takers of thy holiness here, and of thy felicity 
hereafter. All which we ask, &c. 

FOR A SICK PERSON. 

MERCIFUL God and heavenly Father, who 
givest us life, and health, and all things, and 
recallest them according to thy good pleasure, 
grant that we may acknowledge thy hand in every 
thing that befalleth us ; and in all the afflictive dis- 
pensations of thy providence, may we strive to im- 
prove them to thy glory and our own salvation. 
Sanctify, we pray thee, this present visitation to 
this thy servant. May it tend to weaken his at- 
tachments to earth, and to elevate them to heaven. 
May it awaken in his mind a lively sense of the 
shortness and uncertainty of this life, and of the 
vast importance of being prepared for a future 
state. Dispose him to give all diligence to make 



42 PRATERS. 

his calling and election sure. May he pray earnestly 
to thee for the pardon of his sins, and for an as- 
sured interest in the blood of Christ. And, O 
Lord, regard not his unworthiness, nor refuse to 
hear him when he calleth upon thee ; but accept 
of his repentance, blot out all his misdeeds, and 
refresh him with the grace and comfort of thy Holy 
Spirit. Support him in the weakness of his body, 
guard him in the temptations which assault the 
soul, administer his sorrows with tenderness, and 
turn them all to his good and comfort in the end. 
Lay not more upon him than thou wilt enable him 
to bear. Consider his weakness, and proportion 
his trials to his strength, that he may endure them 
with patience and resignation to thy blessed will. 
And since thou alone, O thou Great Physician of 
our souls, canst effectually remove his maladies, be 
pleased, we beseech thee, so to bless the means 
which may be used for his recovery, that he may 
perceive and feel the blessing in the relief of his 
pain, and the restoration of his health j and may 
he have grace to pass the residue of his days in 
thy fear and love, and to thy praise and glory, and 
thus show forth his gratitude for this and all the 
other instances of thy love and mercy to him. AH 
which we ask, &c. 

A PENITENTIAL PRATER. 

ALMIGHTY God, the Author of eternal sal- 
vation, and the blessed Eedeemer of the world, 
who art ever ready to hear the voice of prayer, and 
more willing to give than we to ask, we pray thee 
in mercy to regard this thy servant, in penitence 
for his sins. Through the merits of the atoning 
blood of thy Son, our Mediator, forgive him all the 



PRATERS. 



43 



errors and follies of his youth ; remember not his 
wanderings in the forbidden paths of wickedness, 
and treasure not to him in judgment thy merited 
wrath for his offences against thy holy laws ; but 
be very merciful to him, we pray thee, and, by the 
comforting influences of thy Holy Spirit, remove 
the fears of a troubled conscience from his mind. 
Spare him, good Lord, spare him from the bitter 
pangs of remorse, and of distracting doubts that 
overwhelm the soul with despair. And grant that 
the door of thy mercy may not be closed against 
him forever ; but may it now be opened, and may 
the peaceful Messenger of divine love be commis- 
sioned to dispel his fears, and to diffuse a holy 
peace and serenity over his mind. 

Hear us, Lord, we pray thee, and visit him 
with the favor which thou bearest to thy people, 
that being made a partaker of thy mercies, he may 
rejoice in thee as the God of his salvation, and be 
refreshed with the tokens of thy reconciled love 
and favor. And may it please thee to bless with 
success the means used for his recovery, that he 
may be speedily restored to health, that his days 
may be many and useful in the world, devoted 
to thy service, and to thy honor and glory. But 
if, in thy wisdom, thou hast otherwise determined, 
O, endue him abundantly, we pray thee, with the 
sustaining influences of thy Holy Spirit, that he 
may regard death without dread, and be sweetly 
resigned to thy blessed will ; comfort his mind 
with a sense of thy fatherly love and goodness, 
preserve him from his spiritual enemies, mitigate 
and relieve his sufferings, and finally receive 
him to thyself in the abodes of peace and blessed- 
ness, for the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord 
and Savior. Amen. 



44 PKAYERS. 



FOE AN IMPENITENT PERSON. 

ALMIGHTY God, grant, we pray thee, that this 
person, whose sickness now reminds him of 
the certainty of death, may have such a sense of 
his situation as a sinner, that he may be truly con- 
cerned about the saving of his soul. Make him to 
consider the cause of his affliction, and the end to 
be answered by it. Grant that this sickness may 
be the means of awakening him to repentance, of 
purifying his heart, and leading him to Christ, the 
only Eedeemer of sinners. Let him reflect with 
horror on the certain destruction which he would 
have brought upon himself, had he been called out 
of life in the midst of his sins ; grant that he may 
now diligently avail himself of his present oppor- 
tunity to amend his life, and to secure the salva- 
tion of his soul. Let the zeal of his future piety 
be proportioned to his past sin and folly, and let 
the remembrance of his ingratitude and disobe- 
dience make him humble, diligent, and persevering 
in improvement. God, let him not depart out 
of this world till his peace with thee be secured. 
Pardon, we pray thee, all his past sins, for Christ's 
sake. Create in him a clean heart, and renew a 
right spirit within him. Work in him, and do for 
him, whatever thou seest necessary for his present 
and eternal good ; and whenever" he leaves this 
world, may he be a fit partaker of the inheritance 
of the saints in light, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 

EOR ONE IN A BAD STATE. 

OMOST holy and righteous Lord God, who 
cannot look upon iniquity, we bow down before 



PRAYERS. 



45 



thee in the name of Jesus, the friend of sinners, 
and for his sake implore thy mercy in behalf of 
this person, who has so much despised and neg- 
lected thee and thy service, and whose life has been 
spent in sin and folly. O God, impress on him 
the deepest sorrow and contrition for all his sins. 
Grant unto him a deep and unfeigned repentance, 
and also a strong and lively sense of thy astonish- 
ing mercy in having hitherto delayed his punish- 
ment. 

May he now give all diligence to secure the sal- 
vation of his soul. O, let him not give sleep to 
his eyes, nor slumber to his eyelids, till he has ob- 
tained pardon and peace. And may the remainder 
of his life be spent in thy fear and service ; and as 
there is no promise of acceptance without an ac- 
tual amendment, so let him remember that no 
amendment now can compensate for the wicked- 
ness of his past life, and that his trust must be in 
thy undeserved mercy, through Christ his only 
refuge. For his sake, we pray thee, O God, to 
spare him, and to grant unto him repentance unto 
salvation. For the all-sufficient merits of thy Son, 
reject him not, God, nor shut thine ears to our 
prayers in his behalf, but pardon all his sins, and 
make him a monument of thy saving mercy in 
Christ Jesus. Amen. 



FOR AN IMPENITENT SINNER. 

LORD, we kneel down before thee to supplicate 
thee in behalf of this person, here lying on the 
bed of sickness. For Jesus' sake, we pray thee to 
accept the petitions that we now ask for him. 

May this sickness, Lord, be the means of re- 
claiming him from sin, and of producing in him 



46 PBATEES. 

repentance unto salvation. Let thy Holy Spirit 
descend upon him, and so melt the hardness of his 
heart as may make him sorrowfully concerned that 
he should ever have offended thee, the God of all 
goodness, and the source of every blessing. Make 
him thankful that he has not been taken away in 
the midst of sin and folly. Make him thankful 
that his sickness does not affect his understanding, 
but that he still enjoys the use of his reason and 
his senses. And, God, dispose him to give all 
diligence to secure the salvation of his soul, and 
for this purpose to use all the means of grace which 
thou hast appointed. Dispose him to pray heartily 
to thee for pardon and forgiveness, and for a sav- 
ing interest in the atoning blood of the Savior. 
And, Lord, be very gracious unto him, and grant 
unto him a free and full remission of all his sins. 
O, reserve them not to be punished in the day of 
thy fierce anger ; but spare him, Lord God most 
holy, Lord most mighty, holy and most mer- 
ciful Savior, thou most worthy Judge Eternal, de- 
liver him, we beseech thee, from the bitter pains 
of eternal death. Thy property. Lord, is always 
to have mercy ; spare him, therefore, good Lord 5 
spare this person whom thou hast redeemed with 
thy precious blood, and be not angry with him 
forever. 

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. 

Son of God, we beseech thee to hear us. 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of 
the world, have mercy upon him. 

Graciously hear us, Christ. 

Graciously hear us, Lord Christ. 

O God, merciful Father, who hast promised to 
hear the petitions of those who ask in thy Son's 
name, mercifully accept the prayers which we 



PRAYERS. 47 

have now offered in behalf of this person, and for 
the glory of thy name turn from him all the evils 
he doth most justly deserve, and give him grace so 
to improve this visitation, that should his days upon 
earth be prolonged, he may live to thee, and be 
an instrument of good in his generation ; or in the 
event of his departure hence, that his soul may be 
received by thee in life everlasting, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 



FOR ONE WHO IS PENITENT. 

OMOST merciful Father, who art always more 
ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more 
than we can desire or deserve, we beseech thee to 
look in mercy upon this thy servant, who earnestly 
desires the pardon of his sins, and a saving interest 
in thy covenanted mercies in Christ Jesus. 

We know, Lord, that thou art a merciful God ; 
full of compassion, long suffering, and of great 
pity ; forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin ; 
and that thine arms of mercy are ever open to re- 
ceive the contrite and penitent offender. For thy 
tender mercies' sake, therefore, Lord, and for thy 
dear Son's sake, who came into the world to seek 
and to save such as were weary and heavy laden 
with the burden of their sins, and who hast gra- 
ciously assured us that " those who come unto 
thee shall in no wise be cast out," we pray thee 
freely to forgive him all his sins, and to bestow 
upon him a saving interest in the blood of Jesus. 
Hear us, most merciful Father, in these our pe- 
titions for this thy servant, who earnestly desires 
pardon and forgiveness. Graciously receive him, 
as the offended father received the offending prod- 
igal. Receive him graciously into thy bosom, and 



48 PRATERS. 

gladden his heart with the tokens of thy reconciled 
love and favor. For the glory of thy name pardon 
all his misdeeds, and turn from him all those evils 
that he has most justly deserved. And grant, 
Lord, that he may continue to cherish his present 
feelings of indignation against sin, and to resolve, 
by thy grace, ever manfully to fight against it, and 
to approve himself thy faithful servant. And help 
him to trust, not in himself alone, but in thee, 
for the performance of his vows and resolutions. 
What he knoweth not, teach him, and what he 
knoweth, enable him to practice. And give him 
grace cheerfully to acquiesce in thy will, in regard 
to whatever may be the character of this, or any of 
thy future dispensations towards him; that if it 
should be thy good pleasure that he should live to 
be tried, he may prove himself thy faithful servant ; 
or, if his sickness should result in death, he may 
calmly resign himself to thy will ; that so, living or 
dying, he may be thine, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 

ANOTHER PRATER FOR ONE WHO IS PENITENT. 

OLORD, who in mercy hast granted to this thy 
servant a due sense of his transgressions, we 
beseech thee to increase the influences of thy Spirit, 
confirm his indignation against sin, and heighten 
his sorrowful remembrance of his former iniquities 
into the most earnest resolutions against a repe- 
tition of them in future. Let him distinguish be- 
tween infirmity of body and contrition of soul, that 
he may not mistake his present freedom from temp- 
tation for a sign of his piety, but may he steadfast- 
ly resolve to prefer his duty before all allurements, 
if tried by them again. Affect him with a deep 



PRAYERS. 49 

sense of the importance of thy favor, and of the 
vanity of this world ; that he may devote himself 
wholly to thy service, and be prepared for all future 
temptations, should he be again assaulted. And 
do thou. O God, help him to withstand the temp- 
tations of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and 
with a pure heart and mind to serve thee. Let thy 
Holy Spirit be with him, to direct and guide him 
in all his ways. Bless to his good all the means of 
grace, and grant that he may so profit by the same 
as to be made wise unto salvation. May he devote 
himself wholly to thy service, and have grace so 
faithfully to serve thee during the remainder of his 
days, as that finally he may be admitted into thine 
eternal and glorious kingdom, there to live with 
thee in life everlasting, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. 

FOR FORGIVEXESS. 

MOST gracious God. who hast taught us to ap- 
ply to thee in time of need, and hast promised 
mercy and forgiveness to those who earnestly pray 
for it in the name of thy dear Son. regard our sup- 
plications for this thy servant, who desires to obtain 
it through the merits of thy Son Jesus Christ. He 
is sensible that he is altogether unworthy of thy 
forgiveness, and that nothing but thine unbounded 
goodness could encourage him to apply for it. But 
•without thy mercy he must perish ; and thou hast 
graciously declared that thou wouldest not the death 
of a sinner. Accept, therefore, his humble petitions 
for mercy, and in him may Christ Jesus show forth 
all long-suffering and compassion. He knows that 
his life cannot bear a strict examination ; for if thou 
shouldest be extreme to mark what has been done 
amiss, Lord, who may abide it ? Accept him 
4 



50 PRAYERS. 

according to the gracious covenant of thy mercy 
in thy Son Jesus Christ. Prepare him by sincere 
resolutions of obedience to apply to thee in prayer ; 
strengthen him by a comfortable trust in thy mercy 
to proceed uniformly in the way of holiness ; favor 
him with a longer time to testify his sincerity by a 
holy life ; and whenever thou shalt be pleased to 
take him hence, receive him into thy mercy, through 
the merits and intercession of thy Son Jesus Christ 
our Lord. 

FOR ONE MUCH DEJECTED IN MIND. 

OMOST merciful Father, who knowest our 
frame, and rememberest that we are but dust, 
look with pity, we pray thee, upon the sorrows of 
this thy servant, whose soul is cast down within 
him. Banish from his mind all needless fears, and 
deliver him from his present sadness and dejection 
of spirit. Mercifully forgive him all his sins, and 
gladden his heart with the tokens of thy love and 
favor. He confesseth, Lord, that he hath sinned 
against thee ; that he hath done those things which 
he ought not to have done,and hath left undone those 
things which he ought to have done. He is sensi- 
ble, too, that he has no merits of his own to plead, 
and he trusts entirely to the merits of his Savior 
for pardon and forgiveness. For Christ's sake, 
therefore, we pray thee to forgive him all his sins. 
By his death and passion, by his resurrection and 
ascension, we entreat thee to be thus merciful to 
him. thou Sun of Righteousness, arise, shine, 
and dissipate the clouds of darkness that rest upon 
his mind, and diffuse the rays of joy and comfort 
through the inner man. Make him glad with the 
light of thy countenance, and revive his spirit 



51 

within him. Make him to taste and feel that thou 
art gracious, and that thou hast power to comfort 
those who are cast down. Endue his soul with 
patience under his troubles, and with resignation 
to thy blessed will ; comfort him with a sense of 
thy goodness ; lift upon him the light of thy coun- 
tenance, and give him peace. 

God, who despisest not the sighing of a con- 
trite heart, nor the desires of such as are sorrowful, 
mercifully assist the prayers we have now made in 
this time of trouble and adversity, and grant unto 
this thy servant the comfort he now requires ; and 
may we and all have grace evermore to serve thee in 
pureness and holiness of living, to thy honor and 
glory, through our only Mediator and Advocate, 
Jesus Christ our Lord. 

FOR A SICK PERSOX, TROUBLED WITH DOUBTS 
AXD DIFFICULTIES. 

OGOD, who art the only Comforter of the sor- 
rowful and afflicted, we earnestly entreat thee 
to impart the consolations of thy grace to this thy 
afflicted servant. Kegard with pity, we pray thee, 
his infirmities, and compose his mind with the 
soothing influence of thy Holy Spirit. 0, let thy 
grace so enlighten his* understanding that he 
may discern the wonders of thy redeeming love, 
and rejoice in the knowledge of thy boundless 
goodness and mercy. Grant unto him, we pray 
thee, entire confidence in thy willingness to bless 
and comfort those " who are weary and heavy la- 
den with the burden of their sins," and whose 
hearts are truly humble and contrite in thy sight. 
Enable him effectually to repent of all his past 
transgressions, and diligently to avail himself of 



52 PRAYERS. 

all the prescribed means of grace and salvation. 
And do thou, God, so assist him with thy spirit, 
and so increase his confidence in the merits and 
efficacy of his Eedeemer's blood, that he may ob- 
tain a well-grounded hope of acceptance with thee, 
and be blessed with the manifestations of thy rec- 
onciled love and favor. 

We thank thee, O Lord, that thou hast awakened 
his mind to a sense of the importance of being pre- 
pared for eternity. Affect him with a still deeper 
conviction, we pray thee, of the solemn realities re- 
vealed in thy word, and of the danger of procras- 
tinating the work of amendment and of preparation 
for the eternal world. And now that all things else 
fail him, and that he has a feeling and experi- 
mental sense of the frailty of his nature, and of the 
uncertainty of human life, may he be disposed to 
cling more earnestly to the promises of thy word, 
and to yield a more unreserved compliance with its 
requirements. And grant, Lord, that every 
darkling cloud of unbelief may be dispelled from 
his mind, and that henceforth he may be able to 
serve thee without fear, and with that peace which 
cometh only of thee, and which passeth all under- 
standing. 

We pray thee, heavenly Father, to restore him 
speedily to health, with a deep sense of thy mercy 
to him, and a firm determination to devote himself 
wholly to thy service, and to strive to please thee 
all his days. But if thou hast otherwise deter- 
mined, 0, prepare him for his departure ; be with 
him in his passage through the dark valley of death, 
and let thy holy angels convey his soul to the bosom 
of his Savior, there to live with him in the fruition 
of never-ending happiness. We ask all, &c. 



PRATERS. 53 



FOR A PERSON IN DESPONDENCY. 

OLORD. our heavenly Father, who art the sure 
and efficient help of all who call upon thee in 
trouble, be pleased to hear and accept our prayers 
for this person, who is oppressed with gloom on 
account of his sins. Have mercy upon him, O 
Lord, have mercy upon him, and cheer and enliven 
his heart with the consolations of thy Holy Spirit. 
0, let him not distrust thy mercy and goodness, 
nor disbelieve thy promises ; but, notwithstanding 
the deep sense of his unworthiness, may he con- 
fidently and earnestly call upon thee, who art the 
Savior of sinners, and not exclude himself from 
the hope of pardon and reconciliation. Graciously 
vouchsafe unto him, Lord, a saving faith in the 
blood of Jesus ; and comfort his heart with the assur- 
ance " that his blood cleanseth from all sin," and 
" that whosoever cometh unto him believing, shall 
in no wise be cast out." O, let him be no longer 
faithless, but dispose and assist him, God, by the 
grace of thy Spirit, to bring the burden of his sins 
at once to the foot of the cross, and to cast him- 
self in faith on the mercy of his Redeemer ; and by 
the blessed influence of thy Spirit upon his heart, 
may he feel " that his sins, though many, are for- 
given him." What he knoweth not, Lord, teach 
him, and what he knoweth, enable him to prac- 
tise. Let him not neglect any means of grace, as 
though they were no further useful, but keep in the 
observance of every duty enjoined by thy word. 
And should he fail of that speedy relief for which 
his soul is distressed, 0, may he not grieve thy Holy 
Spirit away, by yielding to despondency and gloom, 
but may he be encouraged by thy gracious promises 



54 PRAYERS. 

to persevere; and do thou, God, in thine own 
appointed time, cause him to rejoice in his deliver- 
ance from trouble, and to triumph in the posses- 
sion of a good hope of being received into glory 

To thy mercy and grace we now commend him. 
Pardon, we pray thee, all his sins, and bestow upon 
him whatever in thy wisdom thou knowest to be 
best for him. Preserve and keep him in health ; 
may his days be many and useful in his generation, 
and when he is summoned to depart hence, may 
his spirit be received by thee in that happy, peace- 
ful place, where the weary are at rest, — and where 
sin and sorrow are unknown. For Christ's sake 
we ask all. 

FOR A SICK PERSON OF WEAK FAITH. 

OTHOTJ, who art the Author and Finisher of 
our faith, and the God of all comfort and con- 
solation, we come unto thee as our only refuge in 
trouble, humbly, but earnestly, to implore thy aid 
and thy blessing in behalf of this thy servant, in 
distress. In thy wisdom thou hast seen fit to visit 
him with sorrow and sickness. 0, be gracious unto 
him, we pray thee, and vouchsafe all that he may 
require, both for his soul and body. Thou know- 
est, Lord, all his wants, the weakness of his faith, 
and the errors of his understanding, as also his 
bodily disorders. 0, be pleased to proportion thy 
grace" to his necessities, and to supply all his need. 
Graciously bestow upon him the enlightening and 
enlivening influences of thy Holy Spirit, dissipate 
the darkness that beclouds his mind, and strengthen 
his faith in the promises of thy Word. For the 
sake of thy Son our Redeemer, hear and answer 



PRAYER8. 55 

all his prayers, pardon his sins, endue his soul with 
patience under his affliction, and with resignation to 
thy blessed will, and enable him to realize thy love 
and thy grace in his heart, and to rejoice in the 
hope of thy salvation. And may it please thee, O 
Lord, to speedily restore him to health and all the 
blessings of life. But. above all, Ave entreat thee 
to prepare him to meet thee in peace, to cordially 
welcome death as the messenger of relief and joy 
to his waiting spirit, and as his deliverer from every 
bodily and mental ill. Help him to look upon the 
grave as the gate of immortality, and the introduc- 
tion to that holy, happy, and unchangeable state, 
where in thy presence is fulness of joy, and 
where there are pleasures forevermore. For Jesus 
Christ's sake, we pray thee to grant all these pe- 
titions. 

TOR A SICK PERSON WHO DESIRETH PARDON. 

OMOST merciful Father, who hast promised to 
grant the petitions of those who ask in thy 
Son's name, we now kneel down humbly to sup- 
plicate thee in behalf of this person, who earnestly 
desireth pardon and forgiveness of all his sins. 
He confesseth, Lord, that he hath sinned against 
thee, that he hath done those things which he ought 
not to have done, and left undone those things 
which he ought to have done. He is sensible, too, 
that he has no merits of his own to plead, and he 
trusts entirely to the merits of his Savior for par- 
don and salvation. For Christ's sake, therefore, 
most merciful Father, we pray thee to forgive him 
all his sins. "Wash them all away in that fountain 
which thou hast opened for sin and uncleanness. 
Spare him, good Lord, spare thy servant whom 



56 PKAYEKS. 

thou hast redeemed with the precious blood of thy 
dear Son. For Christ's sake, we beseech thee to 
be thus merciful to him. By his death and passion, 
by his resurrection and ascension, we entreat for- 
giveness at thy hands. Grant unto him also that 
humble and contrite heart which thou lovest, and 
whose prayers and sighs thou wilt not despise. 0, 
visit him with thy salvation, support him by thy 
grace, and work in him, and do for him, whatever 
in thy wisdom thou seest proper for his present and 
eternal good, that so this light affliction of a mo- 
ment may work for him a far more exceeding and 
eternal weight of glory. 

Lord, grant unto him, we pray thee, the comfort 
of a holy hope that thou hast accepted his repent- 
ance and heard his prayers. And resting all his 
hopes on the cross of Christ, may he be filled with 
holy peace and joy. Be with him, Lord, at all 
times, and let nothing disturb or terrify his soul. 
May his mind be calm and peaceful, his faith 
strong, and his confidence at all times be steadfast- 
ly reposed on thee, who art the anchor of his safety. 
And whatever may be the issue of this sickness, 
grant that he may so improve the same, that after 
this painful life ended, he may dwell with thee in 
life everlasting, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

We pray thee, Lord, to behold with thy favor 
and blessing all the sick and afflicted, and to sup- 
ply them with such temporal and spiritual com- 
forts as they stand in need of. Grant them re- 
pentance towards thee, and faith towards the Lord 
Jesus Christ, that their sins may be done away in 
thy mercy, and their pardon sealed in heaven be- 
fore they depart hence to the eternal world. May 
they not despise thy chastening, nor faint under 
thy rebukes, but endeavor to improve the same to 



PRAYERS. 57 

the salvation of their souls. And do thou bring 
us all, at last, to that place where there is no more 
sickness or sorrow, and where tears are wiped away 
from all faces. Amen. 

FOR A SICK PERSON', WHO IS IN GREAT WANT 
OF SLEEP. 

MOST gracious God, we kneel down before thee, 
and humbly pray thee to look with tender con- 
cern on this thy afflicted servant, whose case we 
would bear on our hearts at thy mercy-seat. Re- 
new his wasted spirits, we pray thee, with comfort- 
able sleep. Compose him to a sweet and undis- 
turbed rest. Refresh him so sensibly as to enable 
him affectionately to acknowledge thy goodness to 
him in this respect. 0, may he enjoy the comfort 
of rest, and of refreshing sleep. 

But, O God, if thou see fit to deny or delay the 
blessing, give him patience, and grant that in the 
multitude of his thoughts within him, thy comforts 
may refresh his soul. If he still be tossed on a 
wearisome bed, may his mind repose itself in thy 
love, and be blessed with the comfortable consola- 
tions of thy Holy Spirit. 

And prosper, we pray thee, the means used for 
his recovery. We know that the wishes of friends 
avail not, nor the power of nature or art, without 
thy concurring blessing. Bless then, we pray thee, 
every application for his recovery. Let thine, O 
Lord, be the glory, and his the comfort of the means 
used for the same. 

Support him also under his pains, and deliver 
him speedily from them, and in such a way as may 
best promote thy glory and his present and future 
welfare. Continue him in this life with a due 



58 PRAYERS. 

sense of his preservation, and lead him thereby to 
a better preparation for the next. 

FOR CONSOLATION. 

MOST gracious God, who, by thy Son Jesus 
Christ, hast knit us all together in one body, 
that we should love one another, and that, if one 
member suffer, all the members should suffer with 
it, we humbly implore thy tender mercies towards 
this our sick "friend, of whose afflicted condition we 
desire to have a compassionate sense and feeling. 

Look graciously upon him, Lord, and visit 
him with thy salvation. Grant unto him such con- 
solation from above as we should desire for our- 
selves were we in his circumstances. Give him a 
truly penitent heart for all the offences he has at 
any time committed, and a lively faith in thy Son 
Jesus Christ, who came into the world to save sin- 
ners. Give him the comfort of a holy hope that 
thou hast accepted his repentance, and heard his 
prayer. Support him by this hope under all his 
pains, and enable him patiently to submit to thy 
fatherly correction. Send him help now in this 
time of need, both for his soul and body. Bless 
the means used for his recovery, and if it be thy 
good pleasure, restore him to his former health, 
together with a serious resolution in his heart to 
serve thee more zealously all his days ; or else 
give him grace so to take "this visitation, that, after 
this painful life ended, he may dwell with thee in 
life everlasting, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 



59 



FOR SUBMISSION. 

ALMIGHTY God, the Creator and Governor 
of the universe, who hast so disposed all things 
as may best glorify thy wisdom, serve the ends of 
thy justice, and magnify thy mercy; and who, by 
secret and undiscernible ways, bringest good out of 
evil, we humbly pray thee to give us wisdom from 
above, that we may reverence thee in thy judg- 
ments, and adore thy footsteps, which are in the 
great deep, and which cannot be searched out. Teach 
us to submit to thy providence in all things, to be 
content in all the changes of our condition ; to be 
temperate in prosperity ; meek, patient, and re- 
signed in adversity ; and to look through the cloud 
of darkness and trouble for the light and conso- 
lation which thou, in thy mercy, vouchsafest to them 
who love thee. And grant that, in all our afflic- 
tions, we may fly unto thee for succor and support ; 
that we may wait for deliverance in such times and 
manners as thou hast reserved in thine own power, 
and graciously dispensest according to thine in- 
finite wisdom and compassion ; and that, in the 
mean time, doing our duty with an unwearied dil- 
igence, and an undisturbed composure, our affec- 
tions may be gradually weaned from the vanities 
and possessions of this world, and steadfastly fixed 
on that place where true joys are alone to be found, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

ANOTHER PRATER FOR SUBMISSION AND RES- 
IGNATION. 







GOD, who by thy righteous Providence order- 
est all things well, and in subservience to thy 



60 PRATERS. 

glory, and to the good of thy creatures ; let thy will, 
we pray thee, be the measure of our desires, and 
thy providence, in all the changes of life, the ground 
of our submission. Thou hast made, and hitherto 
sustained us. Thou hast blessed us with unmerited 
mercies all our days, and protected us amidst in- 
numerable dangers. Thou hast relieved us in our 
calamities, and comforted us in our sorrows. In 
the remembrance, then, of thy past goodness, may 
we repose with filial confidence in thy love and 
favor, for the time to come. And more especially, 
Lord, we beseech thee, that in the loss of our 
friends, whom thou hast guided in life by thy coun- 
sel, and blessed in death with thy peace and favor, 
we may not murmur or repine, neither sorrow as 
those who have no hope. "With the same hand 
thou hast crowned them and smitten us. Praised 
be thy name, Lord, that thou didst call them to 
the knowledge of thy truth, and sanctify them by 
thy grace ; that thou didst pour upon them the 
continual dew of thy blessing, and preserve them 
in their way through all the impediments of their 
salvation. We give thee thanks, God, for all the 
graces and benefits which thou didst bestow upon 
them in time, and which thou hast reserved for 
them through eternity. And we beseech thee so 
to join us together with them in unity of spirit, 
that we, following their blessed steps in all virtuous 
and godly living, may cheerfully do thy will on 
earth, as they in heaven, and be made partakers 
with them of those unutterable joys which thou 
hast prepared for them who love thee, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



PRAYERS. 61 



WHEN ANY MEMBER OF TIIE FAMILY IS SICK. 

THOU, O Lord, givest to thy creatures health 
and strength, and when thou seest fit, visitest 
them with sickness and infirmity. Be pleased now 
to hear the prayers which we offer in behalf of thy 
servant, who is dear to us, and who is now afflicted 
by thy hand. Look down from heaven, behold, 
visit, and, in thine own good time, relieve him. 
Direct to the use of suitable means for his recovery, 
and bless the application of them. Mitigate the 
sufferings of his disease, and dispose him to place 
all his trust and confidence, not in the help of man, 
but in thy promises, power, and love. Be merciful 
to him, gracious Lord, not according to his deserv- 
ings, but according to the necessity of the case and 
the multitude of thy mercies. In submission to 
thy most wise and good disposal of all things, we 
beseech thee that this bitter cup may pass away 
from thy servants, or give us grace so to improve 
it, as to set us forward in our way to life eternal. 
All which we ask, &c. 



A PRAYER UNDER SAD ACCIDENTS AND DISAS- 
TERS BEFALLING THE BODY. 

OMOST merciful Father, who hast taught us 
that affliction rises not out of the dust, nor 
comes by chance and without thy appointment, we 
know that thy judgments are right, and that thou 
in faithfulness hast afflicted this thy servant. O 
Lord, give him patience, and strength, and grace, 
proportionable to this great and sudden trial ; and 
enable him so to demean himself under it, that 
after the affliction he may find cause to say, " It 



62 PRAYERS. 

was good for me to be afflicted." Thou hast torn 
and smitten ; thou alone art able to heal and bind 
up. Of thine infinite mercy, we pray thee pitifully 
to look upon him in his low estate, and vouchsafe 
unto him that comfort and assistance, both for his 
soul and body, which he stands in need of, and 
which we cannot render. For his sake who was 
wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for 
our iniquities, forgive and comfort his soul ; and in 
good time repair the breaches made upon his body, 
if it seem good in thy sight, and make him to hear 
of joy and gladness, that the bones which thou hast 
broken may rejoice. 

Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make him whole. 
May it be thy gracious pleasure to glorify thy 
power and mercy in his help and recovery; or, 
however thou mayest deal with his body, "grant 
him a humble resignation to thy will, and satis- 
faction with thy dealings ; and make this sad dis- 
pensation, which is so grievous for the time, gra- 
cious and beneficial in the issue. 0, make it the 
messenger of love to his soul, and the means of 
converting and sanctifying it. and fitting it for thy 
blissful presence hereafter. Grant these, &c. 



FOB ONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCED A HEAVY 
AFFLICTION, AND ALSO FOR THE FAMILY. 

MOST merciful Father, we kneel down before 
-tf-L thee and humbly implore thy tender mercies 
in behalf of this family, of whose afflicted con- 
dition we desire to have a compassionate sense and 
feeling. In thy wisdom thou hast seen fit to visit 
them with trouble, and to bring distress upon them. 
Remember them, Lord, in mercv, and comfort 
and relieve them according to the necessity of their 



PRAYERS. 63 

case. Help them to see love in thy rod, and justice 
in thy dealings, and to know that temporal afflic- 
tions, through thy blessing, turn to spiritual good. 

And, God, look with pity and compassion 
upon the unhappy condition of this thy afflicted 
servant, and grant to him as speedy and effectual 
assistance as may be agreeable to thy will. Lessen 
his dangers, assuage his pain, and bless the means 
which may be used for alleviating and removing 
the same. 

While it continueth, Lord, vouchsafe unto 
him, we pray thee, the consoling and strengthening 
influences of thy Holy Spirit. Endue his soul with 
patience and resignation, and enable him to endure 
with becoming fortitude what thou hast laid upon 
him. Whatever of good is fitting for him to re- 
ceive, we pray thee to bestow upon him. And 0, 
may this affliction be so blessed to his good, as to 
dispose him to look with more indifference on this 
world, in which we are liable to so much pain and 
trouble, and to prepare himself for that world 
where trouble and sorrow are unknown. And 
shouldest thou be pleased to prolong his days, may 
he devote himself to thy service, and to thy glory, 
by doing good and serving thee in his generation. 
Every other request we leave to thy wise disposal ; 
beseeching thee to order and overrule all things for 
his good, and to do for him, and for us, more than 
we can ask or think, for Jesus Christ's sake. 
Amen. 

As regards ourselves, may we be resigned and 
contented under all the allotments of this our mor- 
tal pilgrimage ; and in the midst of the numerous 
dangers and casualties to which we are subject, in 
this mortal life, have grace always to keep in mind 
that piety is the only solid foundation of our se- 



64 PRATERS. 

curity ; and that if our salvation be secured, we 
have no reason to fear any unforeseen accident 
which may hasten us to it. 

Assist us mercifully, Lord, in these our 
prayers, and dispose the way of thy servants to- 
wards the attainment of everlasting salvation, that 
amidst all the changes and casualties of this mor- 
tal life, we may ever be defended by thy most gra- 
cious and ready help, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 



FOR THE AFFLICTED. 

OLORD, we commend to thy fatherly goodness 
all those who are any ways afflicted in mind, 
body, or estate. Eelieve the distressed, comfort 
the sorrowful, protect the innocent, and awaken 
the guilty. Assist those who draw near the time 
of their dissolution, and so fit and prepare them, 
we pray thee, against the hour of death, that after 
their departure hence in peace, and in thy favor, 
their souls may be received into thy everlasting 
kingdom. And we bless thy holy name for all thy 
servants departed this life in thy faith and fear, 
and more especially for those who were near and 
dear to us. We laud and magnify thee for thy 
great goodness in having given them a happy de- 
liverance from the sins and sorrows of this misera- 
ble world ; and we most humbly beseech thee, that 
we may have grace to follow their good examples 
in steadfastness of faith and godliness of life, that 
at the last day, we with them and they with us 
may attain to the resurrection of the just, and hear 
the joyful voice of our Lord saying to us, « Come 
ye blessed children of my Father, inherit the king- 
dom prepared for you from the foundation of the 



PRAYERS. 65 

world." Grant this, Father, for Jesus Christ's 
sake. Amen. 







ANOTHER PRAYER FOR THE AFFLICTED. 

FATHER of mercies and God of all comfort, 
remember every Christian soul bowed down 
with sorrow or sin, and all who stand in need of 
thy mercy and help. Look graciously upon the 
sick and needy, the lonely and the disconsolate ; 
bind up the broken hearted, hear the cries of or- 
phans and widows in their calamity, and lift up the 
light of thy countenance upon all who are in the 
valley of the shadow of death, supporting them in 
their agonies, their weaknesses, and temptations. 
In mercy remember them who have lost their 
health or their peace, their innocence or their 
hopes. Restore them, O Lord, to all good ; giving 
them pardon of their sins, patience under their suf- 
ferings, and a happy issue out of all their afflictions. 
And assist us, O Lord, in all the changes and 
chances of this mortal life. Be gracious to us in 
the time of trouble and calamity, and grant that in 
all our troubles we may put our whole trust and 
confidence in thy mercy. Strengthen our faith in 
our sicknesses and sorrows, our temptations and 
trials. And when the days of our pilgrimage are 
over, grant that we may die in thy fear and favor, 
and rest in a holy hope of our joyful resurrection, 
and the full and perfect consummation of our bliss, 
both in body and soul, in thy everlasting kingdom, 
through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. 







FOR ONE UNDER GRIEVOUS PAINS. 

MOST merciful and compassionate Father, 
whose compassions fail not, mercifully regard, 
5 



66 PRAYERS. 

■we beseech thee, with an eye of pity and compas- 
sion the sorrows of this person, whom thou hast 
seen fit to visit with such sore and painful sickness. 
We know, Lord, that thou dost not willingly 
afflict the children of men, but doest it only for 
their good. But, O God, thou knowest the weak- 
ness of our nature, and how little we can bear. 
And thou art witness to the burden, the painful 
and oppressive burden, under which this thy ser- 
vant laboreth, and which crieth aloud to thee for 
ease. All the day long is he troubled, and in the 
night season he hath no rest. His body is filled 
with pain, and his soul is bowed down within him. 
Wherefore, we pray thee, most merciful Father, to 
have pity upon him, and either to lighten his 
affliction or give him grace to bear it. Send to 
him, we pray thee, the Holy Ghost the Comforter, 
and let thy grace abound in him in proportion to 
his need of it, that his spiritual grace and strength 
may be greater than his sufferings. Let thy grace 
refresh his spirit and support his soul. Deal very 
gently and tenderly with him, Lord, and afflict 
him not above his strength. Make him to taste 
and feel that thou art gracious, and that thou hast 
power to comfort those who are cast down. May 
he be perfectly resigned to thy will, and with thy 
suffering saints of old be disposed to say, " The 
will of the Lord be done ; " " It is the Lord, let him 
do what seemeth him good." And should this long 
and painful sickness try his faith and patience, may 
it also confirm and strengthen them. And may it 
please thee, O God, so to sanctify it to his spiritual 
good, that it may be the blessed means of fitting 
him for the enjoyment of that happv place, where 
sorrow and sickness are unknown — even Im- 
manuel's land, where thou, Lord, wilt be the joy 



PRAYERS. 67 

of thy people, and where the days of their mourn- 
ing shall be ended. In view of the attainment of 
that happiness, and of those pleasures, may he not 
account his sickness painful, so that he may finally 
finish his course with joy, and enter upon that rest 
which thou hast prepared for thy people. 

We pray thee, O Lord, to bless all who are la- 
boring under any bodily or mental suffering. Re- 
lieve the distressed, comfort the sorrowful, protect 
the innocent, and awaken the guilty. Sanctify 
their afflictions to their good. Be thou a father 
also to the fatherless, a husband to the widow, a 
refuge to the oppressed, and a God of comfort and 
consolation to the sorrowful and afflicted, whatever 
may be their trouble or affliction- We ask all for 
Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. 



A SECOND PRAYER FOR ONE IN GREAT PAIN. 

FATHER of mercies and God of all comfort, 
who alone canst comfort those who are cast 
down, look with pity, we beseech thee, upon the 
suffering condition of this thy sick servant. What 
wearisome days and nights thou hast appointed 
him, God, thou knowest. Thou hast made him 
acquainted with grief, and sickness has now become 
his familiar companion. We know, O Lord, that 
the hours of his sufferings are numbered, and that 
thou countest them to him. Grant that he may 
acquiesce with his whole heart in what thou art 
pleased to inflict, who orderest every thing for the 
good of thy creatures. And forasmuch as he is 
very weak and frail, lay not more upon him, 
Lord, than he is able to bear. Have mercy upon 
him ; have mercy upon him, O God, and afflict him 
not above his strength. Hear the prayers which 



68 



PRAYEKS. 



he putteth forth in the anguish of his spirit, and 
have regard to the voice of his supplications. 
Grant to him, we pray thee, that sensible relief and 
comfort which his case so imperatively requires. 
In all the pains of his body, in all the troubles of 
his spirit, do thou, Lord, comfort and support 
him. Pardon all his sins, and gladden his heart 
with the tokens of thy love and favor in Christ Je- 
sus. Grant that the precious promises of thy Word 
may be so applied to his mind, under the influence 
of thy Spirit, as to become a rich source of conso- 
lation to him under this long and painful sickness. 
And sanctify to him, we pray thee, every pain and 
every sorrow, that he may pass through the furnace 
of affliction as gold purified in the tire ; and when 
he has suffered all thou hast appointed him, may 
he come off more than conqueror, through Him 
who hath loved him, and died for him, even Jesus 
Christ our Lord. 

Whatever may be the issue of this sickness, O 
God, give him grace so io profit by it, that, after 
this painful life ended, he may dwell with thee in 
life everlasting, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

And grant, O Lord, that each and all of us, in 
our best estate of health, may seriously consider 
how frail and mortal we are. May we not boast 
ourselves of to-morrow, nor forget our dependence 
upon thee. Give us grace to pass the time of our 
sojourning here in thy faith and fear, and to live 
soberly, righteously, and godly in the world, and 
as becometh those who must shortly die, and ap- 
pear before thee in judgment. And may we all be 
so prepared for the hour of our departure hence, 
that it may be our happy lot to die the death of the 
righteous, and that our last end may be peaceful 
and blessed. All which we ask, &c. 



PRAYERS. 69 



▲ THIRD PRAYER FOR ONE UNDER GRIEVOUS 
PAINS. 

OGOD, our Refuge and Strength, who art a 
present help in time of trouble, look gracious- 
ly and favorably, we humbly pray thee, upon this 
thy afflieted servant, and if agreeable to thy will, 
send him ease and comfort in this his time of need. 
Grant unto him a meek and quiet submission to 
thy will, that he may wait with patience till thou 
seest fit to deliver him. Suffer not the extremity 
of his pain to cause him to entertain a hard thought 
of thy providence, but may he still believe thee to 
be a kind and merciful Father, whilst thou art 
smiting and afflicting him for his spiritual good. 
And that he may be enabled to do so, strengthen 
him, we pray thee, with thy grace, and lay not more 
upon him than thou wilt enable him to bear. (In 
the multitude of the sorrows which he has in his 
heart, let thy comforts refresh his soul. Grant 
unto him a sweet sense of thy tender mercies, 
which have been ever of old, and which endure 
continually.) Comfort him with a sense of thy 
goodness, cheer him with the light of thy counte- 
nance, gladden his heart with the tokens of thy 
favor, support him under his pains and troubles, 
and in thy good time deliver him from them. Give 
success to the remedies that are used for his re- 
covery, and restore him speedily to his former 
health. Pardon all his sins, and enlighten his 
mind with whatever thou mayest see fitting for him 
to know in regard to thee, himself, or his duty. 
Make him thankful for this opportunity of spiriiual 
improvement ; and may he so avail himself of the 
same, that this u sickness of his body may result 



70 



PRAYERS. 



in the everlasting health of his soul." that his 
whole heart, and soul, and mind may be daily 
more conformed to the image of his Savior. 
that his present experience, and deep sense of the 
frailty of his mortal nature, and of the uncertainty 
of life, may elevate the more earnestly his hopes 
and desires to heaven, — to that blessed place, 
where sickness, and sorrow, and trouble are un- 
known, and " where the weary are at rest." 

Fit him, God, for living or dying. If it shall 
be thy pleasure to release him from his bed of pain 
and languishing, and to live longer upon the earth, 
may he have grace to live in thy fear, and to thy 
praise and glory ; and if thou hast determined that 
this sickness shall be a sickness unto death, and 
this visitation his last visitation, prepare him, 
merciful God, by thy grace, for thy blessed self, 
and grant him a safe and comfortable passage out 
of this wretched life to an infinitely better, through 
the merits and mediation of thy beloved Son Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

And do thou give us all grace so to live, that we 
may comfortably look up to thee at all times, and 
especially in a time of sickness, as our constant 
Friend and most tender Father, as our life and 
health, our rest and joy, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord and Savior. Amen. 



FOR ONE WHO CANNOT UNITE IN TOE PRAYER 
UNDERSTANDINGLY. 

ALMIGHTY God, the help of all who put 
their trust in thee, and the relief of the needy, 
hear the prayers which we now offer unto thy di- 
vine Majesty in behalf of this person, who, by rea- 
son of her mental disorder, and hodily weakness 



PRAYERS. 71 

and distress, is unable to pray for herself. Look 
with pity and compassion, we pray thee, upon her 
unhappy condition, and comfort and relieve her 
according to the necessity of her case. Lord, thou 
knowest her condition, her thoughts, and what she 
needs ; be pleased, therefore, to relieve her accord- 
ing to her necessities. Look upon her, Lord, in 
mercy, and grant unto her such help, both for her 
soul and body, as she stands in need of. Whatever 
of good is fitting for us to ask, and her to receive, 
we pray thee to bestow upon her. Pardon all her 
sins. Give her a saving interest in the blood of 
Jesus. Lighten her griefs, and preserve her from 
bodily and mental pain. Bless to her benefit the 
means that are used for her recovery. Restore 
her, if consistent with thy wisdom, to health of 
body and to soundness and vigor of mind, that her 
soul may bless and praise thy holy name. And O, 
sanctify this affliction to her good, that it may be 
the means of qualifying her for thy presence here- 
after. These things, and whatever else thou may est 
see good for her, we humbly ask, for the sake of 
Jesus Christ our Lord. 



FOR ONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCED EASE, BOTH 
OF MIND AND BODY. 

LORD, we kneel down before thee, and gratefully 
thank thee, that thou hast been pleased to send 
this thy servant ease, both in soul and body. 

Notwithstanding the sorrows which he had in his 
heart, thy comforts have refreshed his soul. And 
though burdened and bowed down on account of 
his sins, thou hast now vouchsafed unto him ease 
of mind, and a comfortable sense of thy reconciled 
love and favor. (Blessed be thy name, Lord, 



72 PKATEKS. 

that thou didst not take him away in his sins, and 
that thou hast now given him grace and opportu- 
nity to repent.) Continue to him, we beseech thee, 
the exercise of thy loving kindness towards him, 
and perfect that which concerneth him. 

If consistent with thy will, we pray thee to con- 
tinue to prosper the means of his recovery. Do 
for him as thou seest good, and overrule all for his 
best interest, temporal and eternal. 

We would further thank thee, that thou dost en- 
able him so submissively to acquiesce in thy will 
in regard to this dispensation, and to endure the 
same with such becoming fortitude and resignation. 
Continue to him, we pray thee, the strengthening 
and refreshing influences of thy Holy Spirit. And 
grant unto him, at all times, such sensible tokens 
of thy favor, such experience of thy love, such hope 
of thy glory, as may confirm his opinion of thy 
favor towards him ; and that he may know and feel 
that thou hast afflicted him in love only for his 
good, and with a view to fit him for the enjoyment 
of thy presence hereafter. Be thou, God, his 
portion and his inheritance, his eternal and un- 
changeable Friend, the support of his life, the 
relief and solace of his soul, under all the pains 
and sorrows which he may yet experience, and his 
everlasting rest and happiness in heaven. 

And since many are the afflictions of the right- 
eous, Lord, remember them in all their troubles. 
In all their afflictions do thou comfort and support 
them, and let the angel of thy presence save them. 
In thy love and in thy pity do thou assist them, 
and bear them, and carry them, as in the days of 
old. Amen. 



PRAYERS. 73 



FOR ONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCED MUCH 
RELIEF. 

MOST merciful and gracious God, the Giver of 
life, of health, and safety, we gratefully thank 
thee for thy goodness in restoring this person, in 
some degree, to his former health. We have rea- 
son to believe that his sickness has abated, and that 
he is now beginning to amend. To thee, O Lord, 
be the praise and the glory, for thine hand hath 
done it. Thou only canst heal ; thou only canst 
restore to perfect health. And we pray thee, heav- 
enly Father, that thou wilt perfect the cure which 
thou hast begun in him. Restore him speedily, we 
beseech thee, to his former health ; and give him 
grace to testify his gratitude by an humble, holy, 
and obedient walking before thee all his days, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

"While he continueth to lie on this bed of sick- 
ness, continue to him, we pray thee, the consola- 
tions of thy grace. Give him comfortable thoughts 
of thy love, and of that tender, compassionate care 
which thou ever exercisest towards thy afflicted 
children. Thy presence, Lord, can make even the 
bed of pain comfortable. O, then, lift upon him 
the light of thy countenance, and diffuse over his 
soul that heavenly peace and serenity which cometh 
only of thee, and which sickness itself cannot de- 
prive him of. And in the comfort hereof, may he 
at no time be weary and faint in his mind under 
this affliction, but uniformly endeavor so meekly 
and submissively to bear it, as to glorify thee, and 
to manifest the power of thy grace. 

May this sickness be so blessed to his spiritual 
improvement, that, when restored to perfect health, 



74 PRATERS. 

he may serve thee with increased zeal, and with an 
earnest desire to please thee, and to promote thine 
honor and glory. 

And help this family, O Lord, while this afflic- 
tion continueth, to bear it with calmness and pa- 
tience, trusting all their concerns to thy fatherly 
bosom, and resting in an assured confidence that 
thou wilt make this, and all thy other dispensa- 
tions, to work together for their good. All which 
we ask, &c. 

ANOTHER FOR ONE WHO IS MUCH BETTER. 

BLESS the Lord, our souls, and all that is 
within us, bless and praise his holy name. 
Bless the Lord, our souls, and forget not all his 
benefits ; who forgiveth all our sins, who healeth 
all our infirmities, who redeemeth our lives from 
destruction, and crowneth us with mercies and 
loving kindness. 

We bless thee ; we praise thee ; we thank thee 
heartily, O Lord, for the relief thou hast granted 
to this our sick friend. Surely, O Lord, thou piti- 
est us as a father pitieth his children, and hearest 
the prayers of those who cry unto thee. Gracious 
art thou and merciful, full of compassion, and of 
great goodness to all thy creatures. Grant, we 
beseech thee, that the relief which thou hast given 
this thy servant may be to us a token for good ; 
confirm the kindness thou hast already displayed, 
and in thy good time perfect the cure which thou 
hast begun in him. 

Yet, God, seeing it is his duty to exercise the 
most implicit submission to thy will, may he be 
disposed, cheerfully, to acquiesce in whatever thou 
mayest see good to order in regard to him, know- 



PRAYERS. 75 

ing that thou doest all things well, and that thou 
hast graciously promised that " all things shall 
work together for good to them who love and fear 
thee." 

In submission to thy will, we pray thee to con- 
tinue to bless the means of his recovery. Let not 
his confidence in these, however, or in any human 
instrumentality, lessen his dependence upon thee. 
On thee, and thee alone, may he depend for his 
bodily recovery and spiritual improvement. And 
when restored to health, may he testify the sin- 
cerity of his gratitude, by an humble and obedient 
walking before thee all his days, and by an habitual 
endeavor to prepare himself for thy heavenly king- 
dom. 

Let his thoughts, under this dispensation, be only 
thoughts of love and thankfulness, of resignation 
and obedience, and hope of thy continued mercy 
and goodness. And 0, let not this trial of his faith 
fail in answering the purposes for which it was sent. 
May it awaken in his mind a lively sense of the 
shortness and uncertainty of life, and of his entire 
dependence upon thee for health, strength, and 
every temporal and spiritual blessing. May it 
make religion more precious to his soul, and dis- 
pose him to give all diligence to make his calling 
and election sure. May the experience which he 
has now had of the uncertainty of life, and the 
frailty of his mortal nature, dispose him to place 
his affections and desires supremely on things 
above, and at all times so carefully and watchfully 
to live, that sickness or death may not surprise him 
unprepared. 

We pray for all those who, in this transitory life, 
are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other 
adversity. Of thy great goodness, Lord, comfort 



and succor them also. Show them the light of thy 
countenance, sustain them in all their trials, and 
make all things to work together for their present 
and eternal welfare. All which we ask, &c. 

THANKSGIVING FOR COMPLETE RECOVERY. 

MOST merciful and gracious God, the Giver of 
life, of health, and of safety ; who healeth all 
our diseases and saveth us from the power of death, 
we return thee our humble and hearty thanks for 
thy great goodness in restoring this thy servant to 
health. Gracious art thou, Lord, and merciful, 
and full of compassion to the children of men. 
May he have a deep and lively sense of this in- 
stance of thy mercy towards him, and be disposed 
to show forth his gratitude for the same, by devot- 
ing the residue of his days in an humble, holy, and 
obedient walking before thee, through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. 

thou most merciful Preserver of men, as thou 
hast now healed his body, be pleased to heal his soul 
also. Purify it from every sinful disorder, and as 
he has now the prospect of a longer space to im- 
prove himself in piety and virtue, and to prepare 
for thy coming hereafter, give him grace so to im- 
prove it that he may be found of thee at last in 
peace, and be admitted by thee in thy eternal and 
glorious kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

We beseech thee, heavenly Father, to behold 
with thy favor and blessing all the sick and afflict- 
ed, and to supply them with such blessings as they 
stand in need of. Sanctify thy fatherly correction 
to them, and comfort them under all their tribula- 
tions, that they may not faint under thy afflicting 
hand. And may their light affliction of a moment . 



work out for them an exceeding and eternal weight 
of glory. 

Bless, we pray thee, Lord, this family. Bless 
them with every good thing, spiritual and tempo- 
ral. Especially bless them in their souls. May 
they all be savingly interested in the blood of Jesus. 
May they all be rich in faith, and heirs of thy king- 
dom. May their habitation be the abode of peace, 
of happiness, and of love. May it always be a 
house of prayer ; and from its domestic altar may 
the incense of prayer and praise daily ascend with 
pleasing acceptance in thy sight, thou Hearer of 
prayer. 

And may it please thee to bless their children 
also. May they have grace to remember thee their 
Creator in the days of their youth. Purify their 
hearts and sanctify their affections, that they may 
grow up in thy fear and service. And as they grow 
in stature, may they grow in grace and wisdom, and 
in favor with thee and man, and thus become orna- 
ments of thy holy religion. Graft in their hearts 
the love of thy name, increase in them true re- 
ligion, nourish them with all goodness, and of thy 
great mercy keep them in the same, that so in the 
end they may obtain everlasting life, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. All which we ask, &c. 



ANOTHER THANKSGIVING FOR COMPLETE 
RECOVERY. 

WE desire, with grateful hearts, to approach thy 
throne, most merciful Father, and to bless and 
praise thy holy name. Of thy goodness thou hast 
been pleased to raise thy sick servant from the bed 
of suffering, and to restore him again to health. 
What shall we render unto thee, O Lord, for this, 



78 PRAYERS. 

and all thy other benents ! Truly, thou art good, 
and thy mercy endureth forever. Praise the Lord, 
O our souls, and forget not all his benefits : Who 
forgiveth all our sins, and healeth all our infirm- 
ities, who saveth our lives from destruction, and 
crowneth us with mercies and loving kindnesses. 

And now that the health of our friend is again 
restored, may his life be devoted to thy service and 
to thy glory. May he not forget the vows and 
resolutions which were made by him in his sick- 
ness ; nor may they be as the morning cloud, or 
early dew, that vanisheth away, but may his life 
testify that they have all been made in the strength 
of divine grace. May he now manifest less love 
for this world, and more love for heaven ; less love 
for the creature, and more love for his Savior. 
Graft in his heart the love of thy name ; increase 
in him true religion, nourish him with all goodness, 
and of thy great mercy keep him in the same, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Heavenly Father, though thou hast mercifully 
preserved him at this time, may he have grace 
seriously to remember that the time will soon come 
when he must depart hence. May this thought in- 
duce him, and all of us, diligently to prepare our- 
selves for the awful event, that death may not sur- 
prise us in a state unprepared. All which we 
ask, &c. 

THANKSGIVING FOR RECOVERY. 

WE humbly thank thee, gracious God, that 
thou hast heard the prayers of thy servants, 
and, restoring him who was lately brought low by 
the visitation of sickness, hast raised him up from 
the gates of the grave. Thou hast delivered his 



PRATERS. 79 

soul from death, his eyes from tears, and his feet 
from falling. O Lord, we thank and praise thee 
sincerely for thy great mercy. Let it be good for 
us that we have been in sorrow and affliction ; and 
while our humble trust in thy mercy is strengthened, 
teach him and us the uncertainty of this life, and 
give us grace to fix our hopes upon thy promises 
of that life which is holier and happier. All which 
we ask for Jesus Christ's sake. 

The following may be added to eiOier of the foregoing. 

THOU, Lord, didst revoke the sentence which 
appeared to have gone out against thy sick ser- 
vant. Unto thee may he ascribe the honor and 
the praise. May he be glad and rejoice in thy 
mercy, for thou hast considered his trouble, and 
hast known his soul in adversity. As thou hast 
spread thy hand upon him for a covering, so also 
enlarge his heart with thankfulness, and fill his 
mouth with praise. And let thy favor and loving 
kindness endure forever and ever upon thy servant, 
and grant that what thou hast sown in mercy may 
spring up in duty. 0, let thy grace so strengthen 
his purposes, that he may sin no more. Let him 
walk in the light of thy countenance, and in the 
way of thy commandments, that, living here to the 
glory of thy name, he may at last enter into the 
glory of thy kingdom, and spend eternity in thy 
praise. All which we ask, &c. 

FOR A YOUNG PERSON WHO IS SICK. 

ALMIGHTY God, the Author and Disposer of 
life and of health, be pleased to draw nigh unto 
us at this time, we pray thee, and graciously regard 
our supplications for this thy young servant. For- 



80 PRATERS. 

asmuch as them hast seen fit to visit him with thy 
chastening dispensation, we entreat thee that it 
may be sanctified to the good of his soul. May it 
impress upon his tender mind the uncertainty of 
life, and the importance of being prepared for death. 
May it teach him also his dependence upon thee, 
and his duty of prayer, gratitude, and love to thee, 
as the kind Giver of all good. 0, impart unto him 
a spirit of prayer and repentance, and regard with 
compassion the tenderness of his youth, and the 
tears of his suffering. In mercy, we pray thee to 
mitigate the pains of his body, and to calm the 
fears of his mind. Vouchsafe unto him the sooth- 
ing influences of a Savior's love upon his spirit, 
that he may be wholly resigned to thy will, that his 
present weakness may prove his spiritual strength, 
and the confirmation of his faith in Christ to the 
salvation of his soul. May he be owned and 
blessed of thee as an accepted lamb of thy flock. 
And we pray thee that it may please thee to restore 
him to health in thy appointed time, purified and 
blessed by thy chastening corrections ; that his days 
may be prolonged in a life of devotedness to thee 
and thy service, and that he may be instrumental 
in promoting thy glory, and of leading others in the 
way of life everlasting. 

But, God, however thou hast ordered the issue 
of this sickness, we earnestly entreat thee to pre- 
pare him for his departure. May he be purified 
from all sinful defilements, adorned with the robes 
Of his Savior's righteousness, and made holy and 
clean in the inner man. And when the time of his 
departure may come, may he leave the world in 
peace, and in the glorious triumph of the just made 
perfect, and be received by thee in the regions of 
felicity, there to dwell forever and ever. All which 
we ask, &c. 



81 



FOR A SICK CHILD. 

ALMIGHTY God and merciful Father, to whom 
alone belong the issues of life and death, look 
down from heaven, we humbly beseech thee, with 
the eyes of mercy upon this sick child. Deliver 
him, O Lord, in thy good appointed time from his 
bodily pain, and visit him with thy salvation ; that, 
if it should be thy good pleasure to prolong his 
days here upon earth, he may live to thee, and be 
an instrument of thy glory by doing good, and by 
serving thee faithfully in his generation ; or else 
receive him into those heavenly habitations where 
the souls of those who sleep in Jesus enjoy per- 
petual rest and felicity. Grant this, O Lord, for 
Jesus Christ's sake. 



A SECOND PRATER FOR A SICK CHILD. 

OGOD of the spirits of all flesh ; the smallest as 
well as the greatest are thy work, and neither 
beyond the compass of thy providence, or beneath 
thy notice and care. "Wherefore we pray thee, 
heavenly Father, to look graciously upon this little 
one ; let thy thoughts be full of pity, and full of 
compassion towards it ; and vouchsafe unto it that 
ease and relief which its case requires, and which 
we cannot render. Deal very gently and tenderly 
with it, Lord, and lay not more upon it than it 
can bear. Prosper and bless the means which are 
used for its recovery, and vouchsafe unto it as 
speedy and effectual relief as may be consistent to 
thy will. 

Look with pity upon the fears and sorrows of its 
afflicted parents, who acknowledge their dependence 
6 



82 PRAYERS. 

upon thee, and rejoice that they are dependent upon 
a merciful and prayer-hearing God. If it please 
thee, therefore, restore this little one to health, that 
it may grow up to he a comfort to them, and an in- 
strument of good in its generation ; or else receive 
it in thy heavenly kingdom for thy mercies' sake, 
in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Sanctify this affliction, Lord, to this afflicted 
family; hless them, and cause the light of thy 
countenance to shine upon them, and, as a token 
of thy favor, grant deliverance to this little sufferer, 
for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. 

A THIRD PRATER POR A SICK CHILD. 

OLORD, our only help in time of need, look 
down from heaven, we humbly beseech thee ; 
behold, visit, and relieve this sick child, in whose 
behalf we now pray. Look graciously upon it, and 
bless the means which are used for its recovery. 
Lord, its life is in thine hand ; may it be precious in 
thy sight. Spare it, good Lord ; spare it, we be- 
seech thee, and grant it a longer continuance in 
thy earthly kingdom, — that it may yet see much 
good in this life, and may become a blessing to its 
friends, and an instrument of good in its genera- 
tion 5 and that all of us may have occasion, on 
account of its deliverance, to bless and magnify 
thy holy name. 

We believe, Lord, that thou knowest what is 
best for it, and for its friends, and that thou wilt do 
what is best for both. Help them, therefore, O 
Lord, to bow with implicit submission to thy dis- 
pensation, and not in words only, but from their 
hearts to say, u Father, not our will, but thine, be 
done." 



PRAYERS. 83 

To thy merciful care and keeping we now com- 
mend it, beseeching thee that, whether it live or die, 
it may be thine. Either preserve it to be thy true 
and faithful servant upon earth, or take it to the 
blessedness of thy children in the kingdom of 
heaven, through the merits of our Lord and Sa- 
vior Jesus Christ. All which we ask, &c. 

FOR A CHILD THAT IS LIKELY TO DIE. 

BLESSED be thy name, Lord, for the assur- 
ance that not one of these little ones shall 
perish, and that "of such is the kingdom of 
heaven." 

Kighteous Father, who hath been pleased to try 
this little one with sore affliction, grant it now a 
happy release from the severity of this trial ; let 
thy holy angels watch around its bed, and when 
its spirit quits its earthly tenement, may it be car- 
ried by them into thy heavenly kingdom. 

Look graciously, Lord, upon this family, and 
give them grace to be resigned to thy will. Let 
them not sorrow as those without hope — bearing 
in mind. " that those who sleep in Jesus, will God 
bring with him again at the last day." 

Sanctify this affliction to their good, and grant 
that it may lead them to live more closely with 
thee, and to devote themselves more heartily to thy 
service. Give them grace to love thee supremely, 
to live above the world, and to be diligent in every 
good work, that when they shall have served thee 
in their generation, they may be gathered to their 
children, having the testimony of a good conscience 
in the communion of the church ; in the confidence 
of a certain faith ; in the comfort of a reasonable 
and religious hope ; in favor with thee, our God, 



84 PRAYERS. 

and in perfect charity with the world. Grant these 
petitions, Lord, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. 

POR A SUNDAY SCHOOL SCHOLAR, TERY SICK. 

OGOD, our heavenly Father, thou who hast said 
by thy Son Jesus Christ our Eedeemer, " Suffer 
little children to come unto me ; " graciously regard, 
we implore thee, this child, here lying in pain and 
suffering. 

May it please thee, most merciful Father, to 
shield it as a tender lamb of thy flock, that has 
been taught to love and obey thy precepts, to listen 
with pleasure to the instructions of thy word ; 
whose infant voice has learned to call upon thy 
holy name for protection, and whose tongue has 
joined hi the songs of thy praise. Regard it, we 
beseech thee, in mercy now, and soothe the suffer- 
ing of its body ; let the mild influence of thy 
countenance sweetly compose its tender spirit, that 
it may not fear to die. Bless and prosper with 
success the means employed for its recovery. And, 
0, if consistent with thy will, let it be restored to 
health, that it may grow up in the ways of virtue, 
truth, and righteousness, that its days may be many 
and useful in the promotion of the good of others, 
that its Christian life may be the happiness and 
comfort of its parents, and an example of the fruits 
of thy religion to the world. But if thou hast 
otherwise determined, take it gently and calmly 
from a bed of suffering, from a world of pain, 
sin, and sorrow, home to thyself, there to sing thy 
praises forever, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

And now we ask thy blessing upon its afflicted 
parents, (its brothers and sisters ;) and may this sick- 
ness, whatever be its result, as an example of thy 



PRAYERS. 85 

chastening for good, teach them all ohedience to 
thee, and their duty to look to thee at all times, as 
to a kind and indulgent parent, for comfort in 
affliction, for grace in temptation, and for wisdom 
and counsel in prosperity- Be pleased to hear and 
answer these our petitions, through Jesus Christ 
our Lord and Mediator. Amen. 



FOR A SUNDAT SCHOOL SCHOLAR OF RESPONSI- 
BLE AGE, SICK, AND ANXIOUS ABOUT THE 
SALVATION OF HIS SOUL. 

ALMIGHTY God, who takest away the sins of 
all those who call upon thy holy name in sin- 
cere faith and true repentance ; we bow before thee, 
confessing our sinfulness, yet relying upon thy 
willingness to forgive all our transgressions. 
regard, we earnestly beseech thee, with mercy and 
compassion, thy young servant, now prostrate with 
sickness, who turns to thee with an ardent desire 
for the consolations of thy Spirit and blessing in 
this time of affliction. Awaken in his heart a deep 
sense of humiliation for his past transgressions, a 
lively gratitude for thy past favors and long for- 
bearance, so kindly bestowed upon him. And O, 
assist him, by thy grace, sincerely to repent of his 
sins, to rely upon thy blessed promises of salvation 
to those who trust in thy Son, our Redeemer and 
Lord. Forgive him, we pray thee, the errors and 
follies of his life ; and now that he bows before thy 
chastening rod, and supplicates thy mercy, smile 
graciously upon him, and cause him to realize that 
thou dost answer his prayers, and art reconciled to 
his favor. Sanctify this sickness to his spiritual 
good. Let his mind instructively dwell upon thy 
Word, in which he has been so repeatedly taught ; 



86 



PRAYERS. 



and may its glorious truths, the revelation of thy 
goodness and thy love, thy justice and thy mercy, 
thy promises to the righteous and thy penalties to 
the wicked, and thy plan of redemption and salva- 
tion from sin freely offered to all, be deeply im- 
pressed on his mind ; and shouldest thou grant his 
recovery, for which we humbly and earnestly pray, 
may all the precepts of thy Word, treasured in his 
heart, be the guide of his future life, that he may 
glorify thee, Lord, in all his ways, and be an 
example and a blessing to his generation. But if 
thou hast otherwise determined, 0, for the sake of 
thy Son, who died for his sins, we implore thee to 
prepare him for death ; to purify his soul from every 
vestige of sin, that, adorned with the spotless robes 
of thy redeeming love, it may leave this sinful world 
rejoicing in thy salvation, prepared for thy holy 
courts, where, with the redeemed who have gone 
before it, it may glorify thee, the Father, Son, and 
Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen. 



FOR A SUNDAY SCHOOL SCHOLAR, SICK AND 
PENITENT. 

MOST merciful Father, we bow before thee at 
this time, humbly, but earnestly, to supplicate 
thy pardoning mercy in behalf of this sick child, 
who is sincerely sorry for his past sins, and now 
desires pardon and forgiveness. Gracious God, 
inasmuch as thou hast been pleased, of thy great 
goodness, so to sanctify this visitation of thy prov- 
idence to his good, by making him sensible of his 
sinfulness and penitent for his transgressions, O, 
continue thy work of reformation in his heart, we 
beseech thee ; wash away all the stains of sin from 
his youthful spirit, and so entirely purify and ren- 



PRATERS. 87 

ovate his disposition and affections, that he may 
love thee supremely, and become an humble and 
docile lamb of thy flock, — ever ready to listen to 
thy voice, and to be obedient to thy will. Let thy 
glorious attributes — thy goodness, thy mercy, thy 
righteousness, thy power, and thy boundless love 
to thy children, of which he has been repeatedly 
instructed in thy Word — be so deeply impressed 
upon his heart, that shouldest thou spare his life, 
for which we earnestly pray, the graces of thy holy 
religion may then increase with his years, and in 
due time ripen and bring forth abundant fruit to 
thy honor and glory, and the salvation of his soul. 
Regard with thy tendcrest mercy, we pray thee, the 
sufferings of his body ; proportion thy grace to his 
necessities, and sanctify his affliction still more to 
his good. And 0, gracious Father, should it be 
thy will that this sickness should result in death, 
be pleased, we beseech thee, to prepare his spirit 
for thy presence, and when it leaves his body, may 
thy holy angels gently convey it to the arms of his 
Savior, there to rejoice and be happy forever. For 
thy Son, our Redeemer's sake, O Lord, we pray 
thee to grant all these our petitions. Amen. 

FOR A SUNDAY SCHOOL SCHOLAR OF RESPONSI- 
BLE AGE, SICK UNTO DEATH, AND WITHOUT 
HOPE IN CHRIST. 

OLORD, our God, aid us by thy Spirit, that we 
may look to thee in confidence while we offer 
our petitions in behalf of this youth before thee. 
We believe that thou hast heard and answered the 
prayers of thy children in times of affliction, and 
in the last hours of life hast bestowed thy pardon- 
ing mercy, even upon malefactors. We therefore 



88 PRAYERS- 

humbly ask thy mercy for this youth. Cause him 
to realize that he has sinned against thee, his Bene- 
factor ; give him grace that he may sincerely repent 
and earnestly entreat thy forgiveness. O, through 
the blood of the atonement, pardon his transgres- 
sions, wash away all the stains of sin from his soul, 
ere these last hours of his probation be ended for- 
ever. Mitigate, we pray thee, the sufferings of his 
body, and as its strength yields to the wasting 
power of disease, destroying all hope of his recov- 
ery, 0, may his soul yield to the gentle influences 
of thy Holy Spirit, that he may be strong in faith, 
strong in the Christian's hope, strong in the triumph 
of thy salvation, even in the hour of weakness and 
death. May the manifestations of thy Spirit, thy 
love, and thy pardoning grace and mercy, be such 
as to increase and perfect the faith and hope of his 
friends in the full recovery of his soul from the 
malady of sin, and its restoration to thy favor ; and 
may this calamity be sanctified to their good also, 
increasing their faith and obedience to thee. Grant, 
Lord, that he may be so prepared for death, — so 
resigned to thy will, that, when the trying moment 
shall come, the silver cord may be gently loosed, 
that his spirit may depart in peace, be borne to 
thy presence, and there welcomed to the joys of its 
Lord and Savior, and be happy forever. Be pleased 
to grant these our petitions, for the Redeemers sake. 
Amen. 

FOR A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER IN SICKNESS 
AND PAIN. 

A MOST holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, — 
U Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, — Eternal Three 
in One ! we bow before thy divine Majesty in great 



PRAYERS. 89 

humility for our sins, in adoration of thy glorious 
attributes and perfections, and in meek submission 
to thy will. And we beseech thee, God, to re- 
gard us, thy unworthy servants, with much mercy 
and compassion while we now implore thy gracious 
favor and assistance in behalf of thy young servant, 
here languishing upon a bed of pain and sickness. 
O Lord, soothe the sufferings of his body, we 
pray thee, and by thy grace comfort and resign his 
spirit to thy chastening hand. Dispose him to look 
to thee as to an indulgent parent, for mercy, for 
consolation, and for thy blessing in this time of 
need. 0, strengthen his faith in thee, increase the 
fervor of his prayers, and grant unto him the glow- 
ing influences of thy Spirit in his heart, as an as- 
surance that thou hast remitted his sins, that he is 
born of the Spirit, and is an heir of heaven. And 
though he is now deprived of the blessings of 
health, of the enjoyments of society, of the sacred 
sanctuary privileges of thy holy Sabbath, and of 
engaging in his accustomed duties of instructing 
the young in the truths of thy blessed Word, in 
which his heart delighted ; though deprived of all 
these, may his soul not repine, nor his heart mur- 
mur against thy visitation, but may he realize that 
he is not deserted of thee, that thou art with him 
still, to cheer and sustain his spirit in this trial of 
his faith. 0, fill his soul with thy love, and enliven 
his mind with the glory of thy presence ; elevate 
his affections, and cause this sickness to wean his 
heart from the vanities and fleeting enjoyments of 
the world, and more forcibly to teach him that there 
is nothing sure and reliable but heaven; nothing 
abiding to the soul but thy love ; and grant unto 
him, we pray thee, these for his comfort, and as 
an earnest of eternal happiness in thy kingdom. 



90 PRATERS. 

Direct and bless with efficacy, God, we beseech 
thee, the means employed for his recovery, that it 
may please thee speedily to restore him to health, 
to the society of his friends, and to the field of his 
labors, that his days may be many and useful, that 
he may lead a life of Christian piety, walking in the 
ways of wisdom, charity, and love ; and that at last, 
his life ended, he may be received into the mansions 
of the Savior, and crowned as a faithful steward 
of his Master and Lord. All which we ask through 
Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen. 

FOR A FAMILY SUDDENLY BEREAVED OF A 
CHILD BY ACCIDENT. 

ALMIGHTY God, who alone hast the power 
and the right to give and to take away ; we bow 
before thee at this time to invoke the consolations 
of thy Holy Spirit in behalf of this deeply-afflicted 
family. Thou, and thou only. God, canst com- 
fort and support them under this sore bereavement 
— a bereavement as deep and solemn as unex- 
pected. 0, then, impart unto them, we earnestly 
beseech thee, such a measure of thy grace as will 
be sufficient for them. Without this, the tender 
and endearing ties of parental love, so suddenly 
severed, cannot be bound up. Lord, in thy wis- 
dom and in thy love, thou hast seen fit to remove 
from their loved embrace forever the child of their 
fondest affections, and this without the customary 
warning monitions of disease. And yet they know, 
O merciful and gracious Father, that thou hast 
taken it to thyself in that happier home, where its 
angel spirit is loved with more than human affec- 
tion, and where it is happy in the embrace of that 
Savior's arms, who said, " Suffer little children to 



FUAYERS. 91 

come unto me. and forbid them not." In this as- 
surance may they now be resigned to thy blessed 
will, and like the afflicted saints of old, be disposed 
to say, " The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken 
away ; blessed be the name of the Lord." And, O 
merciful Father, may this affliction be sanctified to 
their spiritual and eternal benefit. May it forcibly 
impress their minds with the uncertainty of life, 
and the all-important necessity of at all times liv- 
ing prepared for thy coming. Sustain them by 
thy grace through this and all the other trials that 
await them in this world, and dispose them to de- 
vote themselves heartily to thy service, and to live 
in a manner answerable to their Christian obliga- 
tions, that so, having served thee faithfully in their 
generation, they may finally be privileged to join 
their little one again in glory. All which we hum- 
bly ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. 

FOR A FAMILY, OF WHICH TWO OR MORE ARE 
SICK WITH A CONTAGIOUS DISEASE. 

ALMIGHTY God, the high and mighty 
Ruler of the universe, we bless and adore thy 
holy name, that thy ways are not our ways ; for we 
know that thou judgest the world in righteousness, 
and that all thy doings, though to us often dark 
and mysterious, are conceived in infinite wisdom 
and executed in mercy, designed for the spiritual 
elevation and eternal good of thy children. Look 
graciously, we beseech thee, O Lord, upon this 
family, on whom thy afflicting hand has so suddenly 
and heavily fallen, and so enlighten them with 
thy grace, that they may perceive and feel that 
thou doest all things well ; that thou hast chastened 
to correct, and that thou dost scourge the body 



92 PRATERS. 

only to purify the soul. May they realize that 
thou art the source of all the blessings of life, of 
health and happiness, and that for the enjoyment of 
these, they are daily dependent upon thy boundless 
mercy and love. And now cause them, Lord, 
all to look to thee in prayer, penitence, and faith, 
for assistance and consolation in this their time of 
need. 0, may it please thee to stay the progress 
of disease in their midst, — to protect the other 
members of this family from its contagion. And 
as for those who are now suffering under its rava- 
ging power, we pray thee, God, speedily to 
mitigate their pains, and to bless with success the 
means used for their recovery, that, being restored 
again to health, they may bless and praise thy holy 
name for thy goodness, and glorify thee, their De- 
liverer. But above all, we entreat thee, heavenly 
Father, to pardon and forgive their sins, to heal 

their souls, and to create in them clean hearts 

hearts that shall glow with Christian purity and 
love, and be fit temples for the indwelling of thy 
blessed Spirit. Kindly bestow thy grace upon 
them, that they may not murmur or repine under 
this trying dispensation of thy providence. And 
shouldest thou in thy wisdom see fit soon to remove 
them from this world, 0, prepare them for the 
solemn hour of departure ; sustain them by thy 
grace, that they may welcome the grave as the 
door of heaven, and take them to thyself, there to 
sing thy praises in happiness forever. All which 
we ask through the merits of the atoning blood of 
our blessed Lord and Redeemer. Amen. 



A PRAYER WITH A FAMILY. , 

OLORD God, the God of all the families of the 
earth, who bast privileged us to draw nigh to 
thee at all times and in all places, we bow down 
before thee at this time, to offer unto thee our 
prayers and praises. 

Thy gracious promise is, that where two or three 
are gathered together in thy name, thou wilt be in 
the midst of them. Fulfil now, we pray thee, this 
thy promise in regard to us. Be now in the midst 
of us, to hear and answer us. 

Accept, we pray thee, Lord, our grateful thanks 
for all the blessings we enjoy at thy hand. We 
bless thee for our creation and preservation, for our 
food and raiment, our private and public blessings, 
the means of grace, and the hope of glory. And 
we pray thee to give us such a sense of thy mer- 
cies that our hearts at all times may be unfeignedly 
thankful, and that we may show forth our gratitude, 
not only with our lips, but in our lives, by an hum- 
ble, holy, and obedient walking before thee all our 
days, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

May it please thee, Lord, to continue to us the 
exercise of thy providential care and goodness. 
Grant unto us, we pray thee, all things needful, 
both for our souls and bodies. Be merciful to us, 
and forgive us all our sins. Fill us with thy heav- 
enly grace and benediction, that we may truly love, 
serve, and please thee, and evermore rejoice in thy 
holy comfort. Keep us safe under thy almighty 
protection, and especially from all sin and wicked- 
ness. And help us, O Lord, to see thy hand, and 
to own thy providence in all our concerns, and 
with great thankfulness of heart to trace up every 



94 PRATERS. 

stream of earthly comfort to thee, the Fountain of 
eternal love. 

Prepare us all, we pray thee, for the world to 
come. Create in us those holy and heavenly de- 
sires and dispositions which will fit us for the so- 
ciety and enjoyment of thy holy angels, and of the 
spirits of the just made perfect. Amen. 

We further pray thee to bless all our relations 
and friends, thy church, this country, and the 
world at large. Have mercy especially on all who 
are in pain, sickness, or any other adversity. Do 
thou lighten their troubles, and support them with 
thy heavenly grace. 

Finally, we pray thee to bless this family. Bless 
them with every good thing, spiritual and tempo- 
ral. Especially bless them in their souls. May 
they all be savingly interested in the blood of Je- 
sus. May they all be rich in faith, and heirs of thy 
kingdom. May their habitation be the abode of 
peace, of happiness, and of love. May it always 
be a house of prayer; and from its domestic altar 
may the incense of prayer and praise daily ascend 
with pleasing acceptance in thy sight, O thou 
Hearer of prayer. 

And may it please thee to bless their children 
also. May they have grace to remember thee their 
Creator in the days of their youth. Purify their 
hearts and sanctify their affections, that they may 
grow up in thy fear and service. And as they grow 
in stature, may they grow in grace and wisdom, and 
in favor with thee and man, and thus become orna- 
ments of thy holy religion. Graft in their hearts 
the love of thy name, increase in them true re- 
ligion, nourish them with all goodness, and of thy 
great mercy keep them in the same, that so in the 
end they may obtain everlasting life, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. All which we ask, &c. 



PRAYERS. 95 



ANOTHER PRAYER WITH A FAMILY. 

ALMIGHTY God, from whose bountiful hand 
all our temporal comforts and spiritual bless- 
ings proceed, while we bow in thy presence with 
this family to invoke thy blessing, fulfil unto us, 
we pray thee, thy gracious promise, that " where 
two or three are gathered together in thy name, 
thou wilt be in their midst." 

Let thy Holy Spirit, God, descend abundantly 
upon us, and so influence our hearts that, rejoicing 
in the fulness of thy love, we may renewedly, in 
sincerity of faith and devotedness of purpose, con- 
secrate ourselves to thee and thy service, as the 
high and holy object of our adoration, in obedience 
to whose ways we shall delight to walk forever- 
more. 

We thank thee, heavenly Father, for thy re- 
deeming grace so mercifully extended unto us, and 
we pray thee to prepare our hearts for its reception 
in the abundance of its fulness. Pardon all our 
past transgressions, and forgive us that we have 
not been more dutiful and grateful than we have, 
for the manifold blessings we have enjoyed at thy 
hand. Lord, how great is the sum of them! 
We cannot reckon them. Accept, we beseech thee, 
our grateful thanks and acknowledgments. 

Let thy blessing, Lord, descend upon all the 
members of this family. Bless them with every 
good thing, spiritual and temporal. Especially 
we pray thee to impart unto them individually that 
grace which they respectively need, that they may 
be happy in thy service, and in the blessed in- 
fluences of thy Holy Spirit. Join all their hearts 
together in the union of love and holiness, that 



96 PRAYERS. 

they may exemplify the beauty and purity of the 
religion of their Savior, by dwelling together in 
peace, harmony, and affection, and thus manifest 
that they are thy true disciples. May they proper- 
ly appreciate, too, and duly improve, the great civil 
and religious advantages they enjoy ; seeing that 
"the lines have fallen unto them in pleasant 
places," and that they live in a land of civil and 
religious freedom, on which the Sun of Kighteous- 
ness doth brightly shine, and that abounds with the 
multiplified manifestations of thy love and favor. 
O, may they all have grace to manifest their grati- 
tude for these and every other blessing they enjoy, 
by lives of humble and holy obedience to thy blessed 
will ; and when their days are numbered upon earth, 
may they be received by thee in thy heavenly king- 
dom as good and faithful servants, there to be re- 
united in those endearing bonds which death had 
sundered, and to enjoy the beatific vision of thy 
presence forever and ever. Grant all these pe- 
titions, Father, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. 



FOR A SUNDAY SCHOOL SCHOLAR. SICK AND IN 
GREAT PAIN. 

OTHOU who temperest the wind to the shorn 
lamb, and who dost regard the young raven's 
cry, hear thou our prayers, we earnestly implore 
thee, for this little one in distress. May it please 
thee, in thy tender mercy, to mitigate the pains of 
its body, and to soothe its gentle spirit to the quiet- 
ness of repose. Grant unto it refreshing sleep, that 
it may be endued with strength sufficient to with- 
stand the wasting power of its disease. 

And in submission to thy will, we pray thee to 
bless with success the means used, for its recovery, 



PRATERS. 97 

that it may be speedily relieved from all its suffer- 
ings, and restored again to health, to the joy and 
comfort of its parents ; that its days, precious in 
thy Bight, may be many and useful, devoted to 
thy service in the promotion of good works, and 
crowned with thy love. 

But if it be thy will to take it soon from this 
world of sin, sickness, and sorrow, 0, be pleased to 
prepare it for death, and for heaven ; wash away all 
the sins of its tender years, and take it in mercy to 
thyself, there in happiness to praise thee, its deliv- 
erer, blessed forevermore. 

Let thy blessing rest upon this family ; give 
them each a spirit of resignation to thy will, in the 
issues of this present affliction. Assist them to put 
their trust always in thee ; to love and to serve 
thee faithfully on earth, that they may be prepared 
to die in peace, and in the triumphant hope of a 
blessed immortality with thee and thine, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord, through whose merits and 
intercession we pray thee to grant these our pe- 
titions. Amen. 



FOR A SUNDAY SCHOOL SCHOLAR IX A PRO- 
TRACTED ILLNESS, WITH SLIGHT HOPES OP 
RECOVERY. 

OTHOU God of all grace and comfort in afflic- 
tion, we would bow before thee in meekness 
and submission to thy holy will, while we implore 
thy gracious assistance and blessing in behalf of 
this thy young servant. Long hath he been pros- 
trated upon a bed of suffering and bodily pain, and 
we pray that it may please thee soon to restore 
him to health, and to the enjoyment of the society 
of his friends, and to the blessed privileges of the 
7 



98 PRATERS. 

means of grace, and the Sabbath school, in which 
his heart hath so often delighted. 

We praise thee, heavenly Father, for the measure 
of thy grace in mercy bestowed upon him, enabling 
him thus long to endure his affliction without mur- 
muring or repining. And 0, may it be still fur- 
ther blessed and sanctified to the salvation of his 
soul. May his hope and his faith in Christ daily 
increase in strength and brightness, filling his heart 
with love to thee, knowing that all his sufferings 
here in this world are permitted for the good of his 
soul. And if it be thy will soon to remove him 
hence, 0, may he depart in peace ; may he enter 
the dark valley rejoicing in thy salvation, realizing 
that his sins have all been forgiven ; and that in 
dying, he is but going home to the blessed man- 
sions of his Bedeemer, prepared for those who love 
their Savior, and are obedient to his holy will. 

We now commend him to thy fatherly care and 
keeping, believing that thou wilt hear and answer 
his and our prayers, so far as is consistent with thy 
purposes, and that in the issue of this affliction thou 
wilt do all things well. 

All which we ask through the merits and atone- 
ment of Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen. 

FOR A SUNDAY SCHOOL SCHOLAR IN PAIN, WHO 
HAS RECENTLY ' MET WITH A SEVERE ACCI- 
DENT. 

OTHOU whose ways are past finding out, our 
Preserver and Benefactor, we earnestly crave 
thy blessing upon this family, and especially upon 
this suffering child, so suddenly prostrated upon a 
bed of pain. We bless and praise thee, that in the 
time of danger thou wast near, that thine arm was 



PRATERS. 99 

there to interpose, .and that his life is still spared. 
May this accident deeply impress upon all our 
minds that we dwell in the midst of dangers ; that 
we are shielded and upheld through thy mercy 
alone, and that there is no safety but in thy love 
and gracious care. May it teach us the all-impor- 
tant necessity to live daily and hourly in a state of 
preparation for death; that, if suddenly removed 
from life, we may not be cut off in our sins with- 
out hope in Christ, and with the horror and the woe 
of the second death before us. O, by thy grace, 
cause this accident, we pray thee, to be a very 
blessing to each member of this family ; may it 
turn their hearts to thee in repentance for their 
sins, in prayer for thy abiding protection, and in 
gratitude for thy kindness and mercy. 

Be pleased, most merciful and gracious Fa- 
ther, to command thy blessing specially upon this 
sufferer ; cause him to pray to thee for thy pardon- 
ing favor, forgive him his sins, comfort and soothe 
him in his affliction, spare him from the severities 
of pain, and, if consistent with thy designs in re- 
gard to him, restore him speedily to his former 
health, so blessed and improved by thy grace in his 
heart, that he may rejoice that he has been afflicted. 

As respects this family, may it please thee, O 
Lord, ever to bless and guard them in mercy ; lead 
them in the paths of duty and holiness, that they 
may diligently serve thee in life ; and after death, 
saved by thy grace, through the blood of the atone- 
ment, be all permitted to assemble at thy right hand, 
there to praise thee, their God and their Redeemer, 
forever and ever. Amen. 



100 PRAYERS. 



FOR A PERSON WHO IS VERT SICK. 

ALMIGHTY God, the help of all who put 
their trust in thee, and the relief of the needy, 
hear us, we pray thee, in behalf of this thy sick 
servant. Look upon him, we pray thee, with thy 
tenderest pity and compassion, and be gracious and 
favorable to him according to the multitude of thy 
tender mercies in Christ Jesus. 

In submission to thy will, we pray thee, O Lord, 
to abate his distemper, to ease his pains, and to 
bless the means that are used for his recovery. 
Thou only, Lord, canst effectually remove his 
malady ; be pleased, then, we pray thee, to do so 
And, Lord, lay not more upon him than thou wilt 
enable him to bear. Consider his weakness, and 
proportion thy grace to his necessities, that he may 
endure this sickness with patience and resignation 
to thy blessed will. Give him ease and comfort 
under his sufferings ; hear his complaints, and in 
thy good time remove the cause of them. But, 
O God, should it be thy will that this sickness 
should be his last sickness, grant that it may be an 
effectual preparation for a joyful admission into 
thy kingdom above. Wash and cleanse his soul 
from all its defilements in the blood of thy dear 
Son. Grant unto him a true and unfeigned re- 
pentance of all his sins, and an assured interest in 
the blood of Jesus. And take from him, God, 
the fear and sorrow of death, and let thy rod and 
thy staff support him in his passage through the 
dark valley. Grant him strength to withstand all 
the assaults of Satan, and the powers of darkness. 
Keep his senses entire, and his understanding right ; 
may he have a lively faith, a well-grounded hope, 



PRATERS. 101 

and an abundant charity ; grant unto him an easy 
an«l comfortable departure ; may holy angels take 
his soul to paradise, there to await with certainty 
his perfect consummation and bliss in thy ever- 
lasting kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

We intercede with thee, heavenly Father, for all 
those who are in sorrow, sickness, or any kind of 
trouble. Give them the consolations which thou 
alone canst bestow. Put in their hearts a holy 
trust in thee, and a sure hope in thy promises. 
And may those who are encompassed with infirm- 
ities, and who feel that their outward man is 
perishing, be strengthened with might by thy Spirit 
in the inner man, that so their light affliction, which 
is but for a moment, may work out for them a far 
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. All 
•which we ask, &c. 



FOR ONE VERY ILL. 

OTHOU Father of mercies, and God of all com- 
fort, who art the hope of all who put their trust 
in thee, look with pity, we beseech thee, upon this 
thy sick servant. Be very gracious unto him, and 
vouchsafe unto him such strength and consolation 
as his case requires. Consider his weariness, which 
calls aloud for rest, and his weakness, which greatly 
needs refreshment. Grant unto him, therefore, 
whatever thou seest needful, both for his soul and 
body. Endue his mind with patience under his 
affliction, and with resignation to thy blessed will ; 
comfort him with a sense of thy goodness, lift upon 
him the light of thy countenance, and give him 
peace. Cause him to know the truth of thy prom- 
ises, the tenderness of thy care, and the support and 
consolations of thy grace. 



102 PRATERS. 

And should it be thy will, God, that this sick- 
ness should result in death, so fit and prepare him 
for it, we pray thee, that he may die the death of 
the righteous, and his last end be peaceful and 
blessed. May it be the blessed instrument in thy 
hand for purifying his soul, and for making him 
meet for thy heavenly kingdom. Work in him 
and do for him whatever thou seest needful for his 
spiritual and eternal interests. And when he passes 
through the valley of the shadow of death, do thou, 
O blessed Savior, be with him, to comfort and sup- 
port him. Defend him from his spiritual enemies, 
and cheer and sustain him in all his agonies, weak- 
nesses, and temptations. And when he leaves this 
world, God, receive him to thyself, in that blessed 
place where there is no more sickness or sorrow, 
and where tears are wiped away from all faces ; 
where thou, Lord, wilt be the joy of thy people, 
and the days of their mourning shall be ended. 

"We commend to thy fatherly care all the poor, 
the sick, the needy, and the afflicted. Make all 
their troubles and trials to work together for their 
present and eternal good, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. 

And when the days of their pilgrimage draw to 
a close, and the time of their departure is at hand, 
may they and we be enabled individually to say, 
" Lord, now let thy servant depart in peace, for 
mine eyes have seen thy salvation." 

And in the mean time, may we be steadfast and 
immovable, and always abound in the work of the 
Lord, knowing assuredly that our labor shall not 
be in vain in the Lord. Grant all these, &c. 



PRAYER8. 103 



A SECOND, FOR ONE VERY ILL. 

WE bow down before thee, O Lord of heaven 
and earth, acknowledging that we are but dust, 
and unworthy to speak to thee, either for ourselves 
or others. For Christ's sake, we pray thee to grant 
the petitions which we now ask. 

We humbly implore thy tender compassion for 
this our sick friend, who desires our prayers. Gra- 
cious God, look down upon him with pity, and sup- 
port him under thy afflicting hand. Work in him 
true repentance for all the sins he hath committed 
against thee, in thought, word, and deed. Give 
him a lively and steadfast faith in Christ Jesus ; 
fill him with a lively hope of that immortal life 
which Christ hath purchased and promised to all 
true believers ; fill him with a powerful sense of 
thy fatherly love and watchful care over him in 
the most afflicted condition. Bestow upon him thy 
heavenly supports and comforts, and give him pa- 
tience and submission to thy holy will during this 
visitation of sickness. 

We know, O Lord, that with thee there is noth- 
ing impossible. If thou wilt thou canst raise him 
up^ and grant him a longer continuance in this 
world. May it be thy gracious pleasure to restore 
him to us. May it please thee to save and deliver 
him for thy goodness' sake, Lord. Direct and 
bless the means which may be used for his recov- 
ery, and make them effectual. Command the dis- 
ease to leave him. and restore him to health and 
usefulness. And in the mean time, help him meek- 
ly to resign himself to thy disposal, and quietly to 
wait for ease and comfort here, and for everlasting 
rest and happiness in a future state, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 



104 



FOR ONE DANGEROUSLY ILL. 

OLORD God, who ordereth all things in heaven 
and earth, and with whom alone are the issues 
of life and death ; we come unto thee as our only 
help in time of need, humbly to supplicate thee in 
behalf of this person here lying in great weakness 
of body under thy afflicting hand. Look gracious- 
ly and favorably upon him, O Lord, and vouchsafe 
unto him that assistance which his case requires. 
We know, Lord, that if thou wilt thou canst 
raise him up, and heal his infirmities. And in sub- 
mission to thy Avill, we pray thee that thou wilt do 
so. Spare him, we beseech thee, heavenly Father, 
and grant him a longer continuance in this world. 
Manifest thy power and thy goodness in raising 
him from this bed of sickness, in prolonging his 
days, and in making him a monument of thy sav- 
ing mercy in Christ Jesus. 

But, O God, should it be thy will that this sick- 
ness should result in death, do thou so prepare him 
for it, that he may meet it with fortitude and firm- 
ness. May all his sins be washed away in the 
blood of Jesus, and may he have an assured inter- 
est in his merits. Grant that he may look upon 
death as a conquered enemy, and not be terrified 
at his approach. Do thou, O blessed Jesus, be with 
him, and make him to know and feel that thou art 
at peace with him, and that thou wilt conduct him 
in safety to thy kingdom of glory. And may this 
thought not only cheer and sustain him in whatever 
sufferings he may yet endure, but cause him to re- 
joice in the hope and prospects of eternal happi- 
ness. And in the mean time, may he so endeavor 
to improve the time which thou shalt yet allow him, 



PRAYERS. 105 

that he may daily become purer in thy sight, and 
more meet for thy presence hereafter. And when 
he dies, may he die supported with the consola- 
tions of the gospel, and have an abundant entrance 
ministered to him in thy eternal and everlasting 
kingdom, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord and 
Savior. 

Look graciously, O Lord, upon this family, and 
sanctify this sickness to their good. Awakened by 
this visitation to a deep sense of the one thing 
needful, may their thoughts and hopes be raised to 
thee. May they not faint under thy fatherly cor- 
rection, nor be weary of thy rebuke, but may they 
endeavor to improve the same to the salvation of 
their souls. Let thy Holy Spirit and thy blessing 
descend upon them 5 and do thou, God, so lead 
them through this world of sin and sorrow, that 
finally they too may attain to everlasting happi- 
ness, "through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

ANOTHER FOR ONE DANGEROUSLY ILL. 

OLORD, our only help in time of need, we bow 
down before thee in this time of sore distress, 
most earnestly to supplicate thy gracious aid 
and blessing in behalf of this our sick friend. O, 
look upon him, we pray thee, with thy tenderest 
pity and compassion, and vouchsafe unto him that 
relief both for his soul and body which his case re- 
quires. Lord, take him not hence, we pray thee, 
but spare him, good Lord, and restore him again to 
health, and to the comfort and society of his friends 
and relatives. Gladden our hearts by granting him 
a longer continuance in this world, and so fill us 
with joy and gratitude. May he be spared to live a 
life of usefulness in his generation, and to promote 



106 PRATERS. 

thy honor and glory. But whatever may be the 
issue of this sickness, God, may it be abundant- 
ly sanctified to his good. Freely forgive him all 
his sins ; cheer and comfort his soul with the con- 
solations of thy Holy Spirit, and cause it to glow 
with gratitude and love for all thy mercies towards 
him. And 0, may he triumph in that faith which 
feels its sins forgiven, and knows that its Redeemer 
liveth. May he be effectually sprinkled with the 
blood of the atonement, and so be made pure and 
spotless in thy sight, and be adorned with all holy 
and heavenly graces, that in the last day he may 
appear as a beautiful gem in the crown of his blessed 
Redeemer. Lord, prepare him for whatever in 
thy good pleasure thou mayest see fit to order in 
regard to him. And should it be thy will to take 
him soon from this world of sorrow and trouble, 
grant that his mind may be meekly resigned to the 
dispensation. Prepare him for it, Lord ; be with 
him in his last agonies, and make his dying hour 
peaceful and easy. And when his soul quits its 
earthly tenement, may holy angels conduct it in 
triumph to the habitations of glory, there to be 
welcomed to thy blissful presence, and to live and 
reign with thee forever and ever. Amen. 

FOR ONE VERY SICK, THAT HE MAT BE RE- 
SIGNED TO DIE. 

A MOST gracious and merciful Father, grant, 
V we beseech thee, that this thy sick servant mav 
be always ready to obey thy summons, whenever 
thou shalt see fit to call him hence. Forgive him 
all his sins, and let him come to his great change 
without guilt and without fear. May he always be 
ready, in humble confidence in thy mercy, for the 



PRAYERS. 107 

hour of his departure. Enable him, God, to re- 
gard death as a happy release from all the weak- 
nesses and sorrows, the troubles and trials, of this 
mortal life. Manifest thyself unto him as thou 
dost not unto the world, and give him a taste of 
thy glory, and of those joys which thou hast pre- 
pared for the righteous hereafter. Cause him to 
rejoice in a sense of thy pardoning mercy here, and 
the promise of thy everlasting favor in the world 
to come. And give him an unwavering faith and 
a comfortable hope in the full and perfect sacrifice 
which was made on the cross for the atonement of 
sin, and grant that he may pass through the grave 
and gate of death to a joyful resurrection, for his 
merits who died and was buried, and rose again for 
us, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

FOR A DUE PREPARATION FOR DEATH. 

ALMIGHTY God, who hath made death the 
necessary passage to eternal life, and who hath 
required that we should regard this life as but a 
season of preparation for the next ; grant, we pray 
thee, unto this thy servant, that he may so profit- 
ably improve his present sickness, that, when the 
time of his dissolution draws nigh, he may be fully 
prepared for the solemn event, and, in the full con- 
fidence of a certain hope, yield up his soul into thy 
hand, as into the hand of a faithful Creator and 
most merciful Savior. Instruct and assist him in 
the great work of preparation for his dying hour, 
that he may be enabled to meet it with Christian 
calmness and composure, and with becoming for- 
titude of mind. And may he be able, with the 
assistance of thy Holy Spirit, so effectually to ac- 
complish this work as to be fitted for heaven ere 



108 PRATERS. 

he leaves this earth, and have an assured sense of 
thy reconciled love and favor towards him. And 
when the period of his dissolution draws near, may- 
he calmly resign himself to thy will in a firm faith 
and well-grounded hope, with a true and sincere 
repentance, in favor with thee our God, and in per- 
fect charity with the world. 

And in that solemn hour, do thou, O God, com- 
fort and support him. Be with him in his passage 
through the dark valley, and grant him that assist- 
ance which he may stand in need of Support him 
in his last agonies, defend him from his spiritual 
enemies, and let nothing be able to terrify or dis- 
compose his soul. And when his spirit quits its 
earthly tenement, may it be received by holy angels, 
and conveyed in safety to the mansions of rest and 
peace, there to live with thee in life everlasting, 
through the merits and for the sake of Jesus Christ 
our Lord and Savior. 

We commend to thy grace and protection all 
the sick and afflicted. May their repentance be 
perfect, their faith strong, their love fervent, and 
their hope steadfast, that so they also may at last 
be gathered, with all thy faithful, to the mansions 
of everlasting bliss. For Jesus Christ's sake, we 
ask all these petitions. Amen. 

A PRAYER WITH ONE WHO HAS THOUGHTS OF 
BEING BAPTIZED. 

MOST merciful Father, who, of thy tender love 
to mankind, didst give thine only Son to die 
for them, and who hast graciously assured us that 
thou art now willing to receive all who come unto 
thee, favorably regard, we pray thee, this person 
here present before thee, who is desirous to avail 



PRAYERS. 109 

himself of the appointed means of salvation ; and 
who is somewhat disposed to receive the ordinance 
of baptism, but who is deterred from doing so by 
a deep sense of guilt and unworthiness. 

Have mercy upon him, O Lord, and vouchsafe 
unto him such a lively sense of thy fatherly love 
and goodness, and of thy willingness to embrace in 
thine arms of mercy every sincere penitent, how- 
ever unworthy he may feel, as will induce him to 
approach thee in confidence, and receive the ordi- 
nance to his spiritual and eternal benefit. 

O Lord, let thy Holy Spirit descend upon him, 
and so enlighten his mind, that he may have a right 
perception and understanding of his privileges in 
relation to this matter. 

Teach him, God, that the dispensation of the 
gospel is a dispensation of love and mercy ; that 
its end and design is to save sinners, those who are 
sensible of their sins ; and that the most unworthy 
are freely welcome to avail themselves of the glo- 
rious privilege, upon condition simply that they 
repent of their sins, exercise faith in thee, and are 
sincerely desirous to love and serve thee. Grant 
that the feeling of unworthiness, instead of deter- 
ring, may rather encourage him to come to thee, — 
seeing that thou hast specially invited such to come 
— those who are burdened with the weight of their 
sins, and hast graciously assured us, that " whoso- 
ever cometh unto thee, thou wilt in no wise cast 
out." 

Lord, let him no longer abstain from availing 
himself of his inestimable privilege ; but grant that 
he may immediately prepare himself for this solemn 
act, by repenting of his sins and imploring those 
heavenly aids which thou hast promised to bestow 
on all who ask them. Hear and answer all the 



110 PRATERS. 

prayers that he may make unto thee, and bestow 
upon him plentifully the enlightening and sanc- 
tifying influences of thy Holy Spirit. "What he 
knows not, teach him, and what he knows, enable 
him to practise. Pardon all his past sins, and 
create in him a clean heart and a right spirit. Yea, 
increase in him, God, the good seed of thy grace, 
which thou hast already sown in his heart, and 
grant that it may bring forth much fruit to perfec- 
tion. We ask all. &c. 



A PRATER WITH ONE WHO DESIRES BAPTISM. 

MOST merciful and gracious Father, who art 
ever ready to receive those who come unto 
thee in penitence and faith, look graciously upon 
this thy servant, who is disposed to dedicate him- 
self to thy service in baptism, and to live to thy 
honor and glory. Under a deep sense of his un- 
worthiness, he would now humbly implore the for- 
giveness of all his sins, and grace to enable him 
henceforth to live agreeably to thy word and will. 
Wherefore, we pray thee to grant unto him free 
and full forgiveness, and a lively faith in thy Son 
Jesus Christ. Create in him a clean heart also, 
and renew a right spirit within him. Pour down 
upon him the abundant influence of thy Holy 
Spirit, and so sanctify his heart and renew his 
mind, that he may be a worthy partaker of that 
holy ordinance. And when he receives the same, 
may he receive the promised remission of all his 
sins, and a saving interest in all the blessings of 
the covenant of grace in Christ Jesus. And hum- 
bly we beseech thee to grant, that he, being dead 
to sin, and living unto righteousness, and being 
buried with Christ in his death, may crucify the old 



PRAYERS. Ill 

man, and utterly abolish the whole body of sin, so 
that all sinful affections may die in him, and all 
things belonging to the Spirit may live and grow 
in him. 

Be thou, Lord, a gracious Father to him, and 
cause him to take great delight in thee and thy 
service. May he find the ways of religion to be 
ways of pleasantness, and its paths peace w Let 
thy Holy Spirit be ever with him to guide and 
govern him in all his ways. And when he shall 
have served thee in his generation, may he be 
gathered to his fathers with the testimony of a 
good conscience, in the communion of the church, 
in the confidence of a certain faith, in the comfort 
of a reasonable, religious, and holy hope, in favor 
with thee our God, and in perfect charity with the 
world. All which we ask, &c. 

A PRATER WITH A BAPTIZED PERSON, IN RE- 
LATION TO THE LORD'S SUPPER. 

BLESSED Lord, who art always ready to hear 
the prayers of those who call upon thee, be 
pleased to accept the petitions which we now ask 
of thee ; and grant that those things which we ask 
faithfully may be obtained effectually, through Je- 
sus Christ our Lord. 

We thank thee, O Lord, that thou hast not only 
given thy Son Jesus Christ to die for us, but to be 
our spiritual food and sustenance in the holy sacra- 
ment of his body and blood. May it please thee, 
O Lord, to prepare the heart of this person for a 
proper participation of the same. Grant unto him 
a truly penitent and contrite heart, and free and 
full forgiveness of all his sins. Teach him to con- 
sider the dignity of that holy mystery, and so to 



112 PRATERS. 

search and examine his conscience, that he may 
come holy and clean to this sacred feast, and be 
received by thee as a worthy partaker thereof. 
And when he partakes of the sacred emblems, may 
he so partake of them as to derive the full benefit 
of this hallowed ordinance to his soul. May he 
dwell in Christ, and Christ in him. And may his 
body, which was given for him, and his blood, which 
was shed for him, preserve his body and soul to 
life everlasting. 

And to all thy people grant the same blessings. 
May they all feel and know, that, though many, 
they are but one body, and all partakers of that 
one bread — the living and true bread, which came 
down from heaven. And by this sacred commu- 
nion on earth, may they all be made more meet for 
thy heavenly mansions, and at length be privileged 
to sit down together with Abraham, Isaac, and 
Jacob in the kingdom of heaven — in that blessed 
place where faith shall be lost in sight, and hope 
in full enjoyment, and love forever fill their souls, 
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. 

FOR A DYING MAN, PAST HOPE OF RECOVERY. 

OFATHEK of mercies, and God of all comfort, 
our only help in time of need, and to whom 
alone belong the issues of life and death, we come 
unto thee in behalf of this person, whose life now 
appears to be fast drawing to a close. We know. 
O Lord, that with thee all things are possible ; that 
thou canst bring back from the mouth of the grave 
and quicken the very dead; and we pray thee, 
if thou seest good, thou wilt thus do in regard 
to this person. But, O God, thy will be done- 
Yet, should it so please thee that this sickness 



PRATERS. 113 

shall be his last sickness, take him not from this 
world, we pray thee, till he is prepared for a better. 
Freely and fully forgive him all his sins, for Christ's 
sake. Grant that he may be interested in all the 
benefits of his salvation. Bestow upon him whatever 
thou seest necessary, both for his soul and body. 
And when his dying hour shall come, leave him 
not. O God, but stand by him, and guard him from 
all his spiritual enemies-, give him strength and 
confidence in thee ; keep his senses entire, and his 
understanding right ; and so comfort and assist 
him, that he may pass through the valley of the 
shadow of death in peace and safety, and find it 
the gate of glory, and an entrance into thy ever- 
lasting kingdom. 

Into thy hands, O merciful Father, we commend 
his soul when thou shalt see fit to call it hence. 
Let thy holy angels then convey it to thy presence, 
there to be united to the blessed company of the 
spirits of the just made perfect, for his sake who 
died and rose again, and is alive forevermore, and 
who has the keys of death and the grave. To thy 
mercy in that blessed Savior of the world we ear- 
nestly commend him, beseeching thee to be all in all 
to him, and infinitely better than we are worthy or 
able to ask for him 5 and let him be thine in life and 
death forevermore, through the all-sufficient medi- 
ation of thy dear Son, our most prevailing Advo- 
cate and Redeemer. 



FOR ONE DYING. 

FATHER of mercies and God of all comfort, 
our only help in time of need, we come unto 
thee for succor in behalf of this thy sick (or dying) 
servant. As his outward man decayeth, strengthen 
8 



114 PKATEES; 

him, we pray thee, in the inner man. In all the 
pains of his body, in all the weakness of his mind, 
do thou, Lord, comfort and support him. We 
know, Lord, that with thee nothing is impossi- 
ble, and that even yet thou canst raise him up. 
And we pray thee that thou wilt do so, if thou seest 
fit. But, forasmuch as in all appearance the time 
of his departure is at hand, we pray thee to do for 
him whatever thou seest necessary for his present 
and eternal good. Of thy goodness, be pleased to 
forgive him all his sins, (and seal his hope of glory 
with the refreshment of the Holy Spirit.) Thou, 
O Lord, hast opened the kingdom of heaven to all 
believers; let the everlasting gates be opened to 
him, (and may the angels, who rejoice in the con- 
version of a sinner, triumph and be exalted in his 
deliverance and salvation.) Take him not from 
this world before he is fitted to leave it. Finish 
all that is wanting in the work of thy grace upon his 
heart, and supply all his need, according to thy 
riches in glory by Christ Jesus. -Be very merciful 
to him, O Lord, and receive his soul into'thy hands 
when it leaves its mortal tenement. Let thy holy 
angels convey it to the paradise of God, and there 
may it be joined to the spirits of the just made 
perfect, and evermore rejoice with them in that 
happiness which thou hast in reserve for them who 
love and fear thee. And to the same blessed com- 
pany may all of us one day come, for the sake of 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

O God, whose days are without end, and whose 
mercies cannot be numbered, make us, at all times 
and under all circumstances, duly sensible of the 
shortness and uncertainty of human life, and of the 
transitory nature of all earthly things. Thou hast 
made, as it were, our days as a span long, and our 



PRAYERS. 115 

age is even as nothing in respect to thee ; and 
verily, every man living is altogether vanity. So 
teach us to number our days, that we may apply 
our hearts to wisdom. Guide and direct us by thy 
powerful hand as we pass through this vale of 
misery, that so Ave may serve thee in righteousness 
and holiness all the days of our life ; that when our 
probation shall be brought to a close, we may be 
gathered in peace to our fathers, having the testi- 
mony of a good conscience, the witness of thy 
Spirit that we are thy children, in the communion 
of the saints, in the confidence of a living faith, 
in the comfort of a reasonable, religious hope, in 
favor with thee our God, and in perfect charity 
with the world. All which we ask for the sake of 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



FOR ONE PAST HOPE OF RECOVERY. 

OTHOU help of Israel, and the Savior thereof; 
in the time of trouble, when all other hope or 
help fails, to thee we come for succor and consola- 
tion in this our time of need. Look graciously, 
we pray thee, upon this thy dying servant ; and 
support, comfort, and assist him in this his extrem- 
ity. Stand by him, we pray thee, and shield him 
from his spiritual enemies. Vouchsafe unto him 
whatever thou seest needful, both for his soul and 
body. Pardon all his sins, and prepare him to 
appear with comfort and rejoicing in thy blessed 
presence. O, make his departure easy, and full of 
peace and hope ; carry him safely through the dark 
passage upon which he is entering, and let him find 
it the gate of glory, and an access into the everlast- 
ing kingdom and joy of the Lord. Be merciful 
unto him, Lord, we pray thee, and when he is 



116 PRAYERS. 

numbered among the dead, let him also be num- 
bered among the blessed of the Lord, for his sake 
who died for sinners, and rose again, Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 

FOR A DYING PERSON. 

A HOLY and most merciful Savior, who by thy 
U death hath overcome death, and by thy passion 
taken away its sting, and made the grave the gate 
of everlasting life, have mercy upon this thy ser- 
vant, whose life appears to be drawing to a close. 
Mercifully forgive him all his sins, and make him 
to know and feel that thou art perfectly at peace 
with him, and that thou wilt receive him into thy 
heavenly kingdom. Lift upon him, Lord, the 
light of thy countenance, and cheer his heart with 
the tokens of thy love and favor. And may thy 
holy angels, we pray thee, watch around his dying 
bed, and defend him from his spiritual enemies. 
Yea, do thou thyself, God, strengthen and sup- 
port him in all his agonies, and carry him safely 
through his last illness. God, let not his faith 
falter, nor his hope fail, nor his soul be affrighted ; 
but do thou preserve, guard, and keep him. And 
when his soul quits his body, may it be conveyed 
by thy holy angels in safety to the mansions of rest 
and peace, there to live with thee in life everlast- 
ing. All which we ask, &c. 

The following may be used with some of the preceding Prayers, 
when there appears but little hope of recovery. 

OLORD God, we beseech thee to succor this thy 
sick servant, now languishing under great weak- 
ness of body. For Jesus Christ's sake, pardon all 
his sins, perfect his repentance, and grant that he 



PRAYERS. 117 

may come to his great change without guilt and 
without terror. Be very merciful to him, and grant 
him whatever thou seest needful, both for his soul 
and body. Hear his prayers, and the prayers of 
all his friends for him ; support him in his dying 
agonies, strengthen him in his weaknesses, deliver 
him from his spiritual adversaries, and grant him 
all that he needs in this his last sickness. 0, let 
not his faith waver, nor his hope fail ; but may he 
die in peace, rest in hope, and have his portion 
with patriarchs and prophets, with apostles and 
martyrs, and with all thy holy saints, in the bosom 
of felicity, and in thy kingdom forever. Amen. 

The following may be added either separately or entire. 

LORD, his heart and his strength faileth ; be 
thou the strength of his heart, and his portion 
forever. 

Grant, Lord, that he may depart in peace ; that 
he may see thy salvation, and that death may be 
swallowed up in victory. Lord Jesus, receive his 
spirit into thy kingdom ; this day, — if it be thy 
will that it be released, — this day may he be with 
thee in paradise. 

Into thy hand, O merciful Savior, we commend 
his departing spirit. May angels carry it into thy 
heavenly presence, there to be joined to the general 
assembly of the just made perfect; and to the same 
blessed company may all of us one day come, for 
thy mercies' sake, O Lord God. 

MAY God the Father who hath created thee. God 
the Son who hath redeemed thee. God the Holy 
Ghost who hath sanctified thee, be now thy defence, 
assist thee in this thy last trial, and take thee to 
everlasting life. 



118 PRATERS. 

The following can be added to some other Prayer, for one who 
is very sick. 

FINALLY, we pray thee, Lord, to prepare him 
for the hour of his departure. Let the blood 
of Jesus wash away all his sins, and thy grace com- 
fort and support his soul. Let thy mercy pardon 
and save him. Let the merits of his Savior an- 
swer for his iniquities, and his righteousness cover 
all his sins. Enable him to realize the truth of thy 
promises ; fill him with the consolations of the gos- 
pel ; enliven his hope, and increase his charity. And 
the more the outward man decayeth, and the world 
fadeth from his sight, strengthen him so much the 
more continually in the inner man. And grant, O 
God, that he may be ready for his departure, when- 
ever thou seest fit ; may he look upon the grave as 
the gate of immortality, and the introduction to 
that holy, happy, unchangeable state, where in thy 
presence is fulness of joy, and where at thy right 
hand are pleasures forevermore. Amen. 

PRATER TO BE USED AFTER THE DEPARTURE 
OF THE SOUL. 

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, seeing that 
it hath pleased thee to take this thy servant out 
of the miseries of this sinful world, unto thy heav- 
enly kingdom, let thy name, Lord, be blessed, both 
now and evermore. Make us, we pray thee, who 
remain, mindful of our mortality, that we may walk 
before thee in righteousness and holiness all the 
days of our life ; that when the time of our depart- 
ure shall come, we may rest in thee, as our hope is 
this thy servant doth ; and that with him, and all 
others departed in the truth of thy holy name, we 
may rejoice together in thy everlasting and glorious 
kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



PRAYER8. 119 



A PRAYER FOR THE FAMILY OF THE DECEASED. 

MERCIFUL God and heavenly Father, who 
hast taught us in thy holy Word, that thou dost 
not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men, 
look down with pity, we beseech thee, upon the 
sorrows of this afflicted family. In thy wisdom 
thou hast seen fit to visit them with trouble, and 
to bring distress upon them. Remember them, O 
Lord, in mercy ; sanctify thy fatherly correction to 
them ; endue their souls with patience under their 
affliction, and with resignation to thy blessed will ; 
comfort them with a sense of thy goodness ; lift 
upon them the light of thy countenance, and give 
them peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

ANOTHER PRAYER FOR THE FAMILY OF THE 
DECEASED. 

TO thee, O God of all mercy and consolation, we 
commend this afflicted family. Thou art a 
Father of the fatherless, and pleadest the cause of 
the widow. 0, provide for and defend them ; leave 
them not. nor forsake them, Lord God of our 
salvation. Enable them evermore to love and 
serve thee, and to put their whole trust and con- 
fidence in thy mercy. Keep them from the pollu- 
tions of the world, by which they would forfeit thy 
favor. Keep them in thy fear ; preserve them from 
all the evils and temptations of this life ; and bring 
them at last to the joys and blessedness of that 
which is to come, for the sake of thy beloved Son, 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



120 PRAYERS. 



ON THE DEATH OF A FRIEND. 

ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, help us 
now by thy grace to bear the loss of our friend, 
•whom thou hast now taken from us, with patience 
and resignation, and to make a right use of the 
affliction which thy fatherly hand has laid upon us. 
Thou hast given, and thou hast taken away ; blessed 
be thy holy name. May we not sorrow as those 
without hope ; seeing that thou hast taught us in 
thy Word, that those who sleep in Jesus will God 
raise up in glory at the last day. And, God, 
may the death of our friends help to keep us al- 
ways mindful of our own mortality. May we have 
grace so to apply our hearts to wisdom here, that 
we may hereafter, by thy mercy, be received into that 
everlasting kingdom, where all tears shall forever 
be wiped away from every face, and where the days 
of our mourning shall be ended. All which, &c. 

AFTER THE DEATH OF A FRIEND OR RELATIVE. 

FATHER of mercies and God of all comfort, 
out of the depths of grief and trouble we lift 
up our souls to thee. Thou hast taken from us one 
in whom we were comforted, and to whom we were 
bound by the most affectionate ties. "While we 
sorrow at the painful separation, grant that no re- 
pining thought may arise in our minds, and no com- 
plaining word escape from our lips. May we make 
a wise improvement of thy dealings, and be per- 
suaded to lay up the treasure of our affections in 
heaven, where there shall be no decay, nor sickness, 
nor death, nor sin to invade, and no sorrow to mo- 
lest. Give us, at this time, the consolations of re- 
ligion. 



PRATERS. 



121 



Thou hast, in thine infinite wisdom, taken what 
thv lore at first bestowed ; and now, with Christian 
submission, mav we be able to say, " Thy name be 
blessed, and thy will be done." M In the midst of 
lift we are in death." O Lord, prepare us for the 
great change of worlds ; and may the lamp of re- 
ligion be within us, trimmed and burning, and may 
we be ready whenever our summons may come. 

Bind more closely together the surviving mem- 
bers of this family, (or the surviving friends,) and 
may we do more than we have done to prepare 
each other for the duties of life, and for the day of 
judgment. All which we ask, &c. 

The following may be added. 

ALMIGHTY God, with whom do live the spirits 
of those who depart hence in the Lord, we 
adore thy majesty, and humbly submit to thy will 
in all the dispensations of thy providence. We 
magnify thy mercy, that it hath pleased thee to 
give a nappy deliverance to this our friend, out of 
the troubles' and miseries of this sinful world. Thy 
counsels are secret, and thy wisdom is infinite; 
with the same hand thou hast crowned him and 
smitten us. Thou hast taken him into the regions 
of felicity, and placed him among the saints and 
angels, and left us to mourn for our sins and thy 
displeasure. Lord, turn thy chastisements, we pray 
thee, into the means of our spiritual improvement. 
And we humbly beseech thee, Lord, to unite our 
supplications with the earnest desires of those holy 
souls who pray, and wait, and long for thy second 
comino-. Accomplish thou the numbers of thy 
elect, and fill up the mansions of heaven, which 
are prepared for all those who love the coming of 
the Lord Jesus, that we, with all others departed 



122 PRATERS. 



this life in the true faith of thy holy name, may 
have our perfect consummation and bliss in thy 
everlasting kingdom, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. 



ANOTHER, THAT MAY BE SAID AFTER THE DEATH 
OP A PERSON. 

MERCIFUL God, the Father of our Lord Je- 
sus Christ, who is the first fruits of the resur- 
rection from the dead, and who, by entering into 
glory, hath opened the kingdom of heaven to all 
believers; we humbly pray thee to raise us from 
the death of sin to the life of righteousness, that, 
being partakers of the death of Christ, and follow- 
ers of his holy life, we may be partakers of his 
Spirit, and of his glorious promises ; and that, when 
we shall depart this life, we may rest in him, as our 
hope is that this our brother doth. O, suffer us not 
for any temptation of the world, or any snares of 
the devil, or any pains of death, to fall from thee. 
Lord, let thy Holy Spirit enable us with his grace 
to fight a good fight with perseverance, to finish 
our course with holiness, and to keep the faith with 
constancy to the end ; that at the day of judgment 
we may stand at the right hand of thy throne, and 
hear the joyful sentence, " Come, ye blessed chil- 
dren of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared 
for you from the beginning of the world." Grant 
these petitions, &c. 

APTER THE DEATH OF A NEIGHBOR. 

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, in whose sight 
a thousand years are but as yesterday, and as 
a watch in the night, be thou the support of thy 



PRAYERS. 12S 

servants, who are now mourning the loss of a rel- 
ative and friend. Sanctify, we beseech thee, this 
visitation of thy providence. May they experience 
the consolations which religion affords. By the 
frequent instances of mortality around us, may 
we learn to consider our end, and the measure of 
our days what it is, that we may know how frail 
we arc. Neighbor after neighbor art thou calling 
away ; and house after house hath witnessed the 
footsteps of death. Merciful God, give us grace to 
follow the good examples of those who have de- 
parted this life in thy faith and fear, that at length 
we may with them be partakers of thy heavenly 
kingdom. Amen. 

AFTER THE DEATH OF A CHILD, OR ON OCCA- 
SION OF A FUNERAL. 

ETERNAL God, our only help in time of 
need, we now come unto thee for comfort and 
support under this afflictive dispensation of thy 
providence. In thy wisdom thou hast seen fit to 
take from us the beloved object of our hearts. 
Thou hast destroyed our cherished hopes, and 
filled our hearts with mourning. But, Lord, we 
would not murmur ; we would endeavor to submit 
with holy resignation to thy righteous appoint- 
ment. Help us to be thus resigned. Console our 
sorrows, we pray thee, and proportion thy grace to 
our necessities. And as the ties which bind us to 
earth arc severed, may those which unite us to 
heaven be strengthened. Affect us, O God, with a 
just conviction of the vanity of human life, and 
the uncertainty of earthly comforts. And help us 
to look forward to the resurrection of the just, 
when those who have been separated shall meet to 







124 PRAYERS. 

part no more. "We offer these prayers in the name 
of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. 
Amen. 

ANOTHER, UPON THE DEATH OP A CHRISTIAN 
PRIEND. 

ALMIGHTY God, with whom do live the spirits 
of those who are departed in the true faith of 
thy holy name, we humbly beseech thee, that in 
the loss of our friends, who have died in the Lord, 
we may not sorrow as those who have no hope. 
0, may we realize in some measure the blessed- 
ness of their change. May we find a solace and 
support in the comfortable assurance, that through 
thine only-begotten Son Jesus Christ, who has 
overcome death, their vile bodies shall be changed, 
and be made like unto his own most glorious body ; 
that, through the grave and gate of death, they 
shall pass to their joyful resurrection ; that they res't 
from their labors, and their works do follow them ; 
that, delivered from the burden of the flesh, they 
have entered into the felicity of thy chosen ; and 
that, received into paradise, they wait with the 
spirits of the just in joyful expectation of their 
perfect consummation and bliss in thy eternal and 
everlasting glory. Most thankfully, therefore, do 
we praise thee for their gracious lives and deaths 
here, and for the glorious crowns with which they 
are recompensed in thy kingdom ; beseeching thee 
to give us grace so to follow their good examples, 
that we, living and dying like them, may together 
with them be partakers of thy heavenly kingdom, 
and be numbered with these thy holy ones in glory 
everlasting. Grant these petitions, &c. Amen. 



PRATERS. 125 



A PRATER FOR A FAMILT ON OCCASION OF THE 
DEATH OF ONE OF ITS MEMBERS. 

It may be used also before the funeral. 

MOST merciful Father, who hast taught us in thy 
Word that thou dost not willingly afflict or 
grieve the children of men, look with pity, we 
pray thee, upon the sorrows of this family, in 
whose behalf we now pray. Remember them, O 
Lord, in mercy, and comfort and relieve them ac- 
cording to the necessity of their case. Comfort 
their hearts with a sense of thy goodness, endue 
their souls with patience under their affliction, and 
with resignation to thy blessed will. In the mul- 
titude of the sorrows which they have in their 
hearts, let thy comforts refresh their souls. Lord, 
suffer them not to sorrow as those without hope. 
Enable them to raise their thoughts above this 
troublesome world, from which thy servant is de- 
parted, to the rest and bliss of which we humbly 
hope he is now a partaker in the kingdom of heav- 
en. And in the keen sense of the bereavement, 
and the gradual dissolution of the ties which bind 
them to life, let their hearts be more steadfastly 
fixed on that place where true joys are alone to be 
found, and where sorrow and sighing are done 
away. May they have grace to look with a holy 
indifference upon the pleasures and pursuits, the in- 
terests and possessions, of this world, and to place 
their affections supremely upon things above. And 
may this evil — this weight of sorrow which rests 
upon them — be turned to spiritual good, and make 
them to know and feel that all things work together 
for good to them who love thee. 
And let it be the serious care of us all, Lord, 



126 PRAYERS. 

to serve and please thee. Let our duty be our em- 
ployment, thy law our rule, thy providence our por- 
tion, and thy Spirit our helper and guide. Give 
us grace to live as those who are born to die, and 
whose spirits must soon depart to the eternal world. 
Grant that the shortness of life may continually 
remind us of its importance, and the uncertainty of 
its continuance make us ever ready and prepared 
for its end. 

(Assist us, Lord, in what remains of the 
mournful duties to which we are now called. May 
the comforts of thy truth and the power of thy 
grace be with us while we now commit, with be- 
coming solemnity, these earthly remains to the 
ground, looking with the eye of faith to the resur- 
rection of the dead, and the life of the world to 
come.) All which we ask, &c. 



One or more of the following may be used in connection with 
the above, as the circumstances of the case may be. 

FOR THE HUSBAND OP A DECEASED "WIFE. 

EXTEND, we beseech thee, thy compassionate 
goodness to the surviving companion of the de- 
ceased. In this distressing sorrow may thy heav- 
enly grace be with him, and so sanctify, righteous 
God, this severe affliction, that what seems so great 
a loss may conduce to his eternal gain. With pious 
submission to thy unerring wisdom, may he resign 
this dear friend to thy superior claim ; may he 
know and feel that the Lord gave what he taketh 
away ; that thou art just and good in all thy ways, 
and that thy mercy endureth forever. 



127 



FOR TUB WIFE. OF A DECEASED HUSBAND. 

OTHOU, who art the defender of the widows, 
sustain thy servant in her sorrows, and help 
her in her duties. Enable her to bear this bereave- 
ment with resignation, and so to improve it to her 
good, as to find that even in judgment there is 
mercy. Let her sad state of widowhood be a state 
of repentance and holiness, of unfeigned piety and 
fervent devotion. Let her afflictions wean her from 
the world, and let her hope and her joy, her desires 
and her conversation, be in heaven. 



FOR THE CHILDREN. 

OTHOU, who art the Father of the fatherless, 
look graciously upon the childre7i of this be- 
reaved family. Spare them to be the comfort and 
the solace of their mother, and fit and dispose her 
to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of 
the Lord. Be thou their God and their Father, 
and let thy providence be their protection, thy 
service their employment, thy angels their guards 5 
and so keep them by thy preventing and restrain- 
ing grace, that they may never fall into sin, but 
serve thee faithfully here in their generation, and 
finally be made partakers of thy heavenly kingdom. 
merciful Father, heal all the breaches of this 
family ; preserve and increase its remaining com- 
forts, and send down upon it the continual dew of 
thy blessing. Hear us, O Lord, for the sake of our 
Advocate and Redeemer. Jesus Christ. Amen. 



128 PRATERS. 



A PRATER THAT MAT BE SAID EITHER BEFORE 
OR AFTER A FUNERAL. 

FATHER of mercies and God of all comfort 
and consolation, who alone canst comfort those 
who are sorrowful, vouchsafe unto this family, we 
pray thee, the comfortable consolations of thy Holy 
Spirit. Help them to be resigned to this trying 
dispensation of thy providence, and from their 
hearts to say, " It is the Lord ; let him do what 
seemeth to him good. The Lord gave, and the 
Lord hath taken away ; blessed be the name of the 
Lord." 

Sanctify unto them this solemn visitation of thy 
providence. In this instance of mortality, may they 
see how frail and uncertain their own condition is. 
May it tend to wean their minds from this world, 
and to elevate them to a better. May it dispose 
them to set their affections on things above, and 
not on things of the world. O, may this dispen- 
sation (or the solemnities of this day) never be 
forgotten by them ; but may it so influence their 
hearts, as to induce them to seek that wisdom 
which will lead them to secure their interests in a 
better world before they are removed from this. 

Blessed Jesus, thou hast said, " I am the Resur- 
rection and the Life : he that believeth in me, 
though he were dead, yet shall he live." Blessed 
be thy name for this comfortable assurance. May 
this glorious discovery of the resurrection cheer 
and sustain their hearts, and dispose them '■ not to 
sorrow as those without hope," in the confidence 
that they shall again see those with whom, in this 
world, they lived in the bonds of tender affection 
and love. And in this consoling hope may they 



PRAYER8. 



129 



now comfort themselves, ever remembering that 
those " who sleep in Jesus will God bring with 
him again in glory," and that these light afflictions 
of a moment shall work out for them a far more 
exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Amen. 



ANOTHER, TO BE USED BEFORE A FUNERAL, OR 
AFTER THE DECEASE OF A PERSON. 

OGOD, whose days are without end, and whose 
mercies cannot be numbered, make us, we pray 
thee, deeply sensible of the shortness and uncertain- 
ty of human life. In these daily instances of mor- 
tality, may we see how frail and uncertain our own 
condition is. Teach us so to number our days, that 
we may apply ourselves to wisdom; that so, among 
the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our 
hearts may surely there be fixed, where true joys 
are to be found, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Sanctify to this family, God, this afflictive dis- 
pensation of thy providence. May the lively sense 
of the bereavement which they have sustained lead 
them to cleave more closely to thee, their God. In 
all their troubles, may their whole trust and confi- 
dence be placed in thy mercy. Awakened by the 
visitation of thy providence to a deep sense of the 
uncertainty and vanity of human life, may they 
resolve to seek supremely those things which are 
above ; to resign themselves and all their concerns 
to thy disposal ; and in the fulness of resignation to 
say, with holy Job, " The Lord gave, and the Lord 
hath taken away; blessed be the name of the 
Lord." 

In the instance of mortality before us, thou dost 
teach us, God, that death is the end of all men. 
Grant us, who are living, grace to lay it to heart j 
9 



130 PRATERS. 

so to lay it to heart as to live above the world ; to 
seek thy favor, to study thy will, to observe thy 
laws, and in all our actions to aim at thy glory, at 
the salvation of our souls, and the souls of our fel- 
low-men. And when we shall be called to go the 
way of all the earth, may thy presence go with us, 
and comfort us, and lead us to a rest eternal in the 
heavens. 

Spare us, most merciful Father, till we have tru- 
ly repented of our sins, and have made our peace 
with thee. And, for Jesus Christ's sake, forgive us 
all our past sins, and quicken us unto a new and holy 
life ; that, being partakers of the death of thy Son, 
we may also be partakers of his resurrection, — of 
perfect and endless bliss, both in body and soul, in 
thy heavenly kingdom. And may the good exam- 
ples of all those who have departed this life in the 
true faith of thy holy name, and in the hope of their 
eternal blessedness, excite us to press with the more 
earnestness towards the mark for the prize of the 
high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 

Assist us mercifully, O Lord, in these our prayers 
and supplications, and dispose the hearts of thy 
servants towards the attainment of everlasting sal- 
vation j that among all the changes and chances 
of this mortal life, they may ever be defended by 
thy most gracious and' ready help, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 



CljB (firtor for tju 3krinl nf tjj* Bwi. 

ff<re is to oe noted, tAat tAe Office ensuing is not to be used for 
any unbapthed adults, any who die excommunicate, or who 
have laid violent hands upon themselves. 

The .Minister, meeting the Corpse at the entrance of the Church- 
yard, and going before it, either into the Church or towards the 
Grave, shall say, or sing, — 

I AM the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord : 
he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet 
shall he live ; and whosoever liveth and believeth 
in me shall never die. St. John xi. 25, 26. 

I KNOW that my Redeemer liveth, and that he 
shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. 
And though after my skin worms destroy this body, 
yet in my flesh shall I see God ; whom I shall see 
for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not an 
other. Job xix. 25-27. 

¥E brought nothing into this world, and it is 
certain we can carry nothing out. The Lord 
gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; blessed be 
the Name of the Lord. 1 Tim. vi. 7 ; Job i. 21. 

After they are come into the Church shall be said, or sung, the 
following Anthem, taken from the 39th and 90th Psalms .• — 

LORD, let me know my end, and the number of 
my days, that I may be certified how long I 
have to live. 

Behold, thou hast made my days as it were a 
span long, and mine age is even as nothing in re- 
spect of thee ; and verily every man living is alto- 
gether vanity. 
* (131) 



132 BUKIAL OF THE DEAD. 

For man walketh in a vain shadow, and disquiet- 
eth himself in vain ; he heapeth up riches, and can- 
not tell who shall gather them. 

And now, Lord, what is my hope ? Truly my 
hope is even in thee. 

Deliver me from all mine offences ; and make 
me not a rebuke unto the foolish. 

When thou with rebukes dost chasten man for 
sin, thou makest his beauty to consume away, like 
as it were a moth fretting a garment : every man 
therefore is but vanity. 

Hear my prayer, Lord, and with thine ears 
consider my calling; hold not thy peace at my 
tears ; 

For I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, 
as all my fathers were. 

O, spare me a little, that I may recover my 
strength, before I go hence, and be no more seen. 

Lord, thou hast been our refuge, from one gen- 
eration to another. 

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever 
the earth and the world were made, thou art God 
from everlasting, and world without end. 

Thou turnest man to destruction; again thou 
sayest, Come again, ye children of men. 

For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yes- 
terday ; seeing that is past as a watch in the night. 

As soon as thou scatterest them, they are even as 
a sleep, and fade away suddenly like the grass. 
_. In the morning it is green, and groweth up ; but 
m the evening it is cut down, dried up, and 
withered. 

For we consume away in thy displeasure, and 
are afraid at thy wrathful indignation. 

Thou hast set our misdeeds before thee, and our 
secret sins in the light of thy countenance. 



BURIAL OF THE DEAD 133 

For when thou art angry, all our days are gone : 
we bring our years to an end. as it were a talc that 
is told. 

The days of our age are threescore years and ten ; 
and though men be so strong that they come to 
fourscore years, yet is their strength then but labor 
and sorrow ; so soon passeth it away, and we are 
gone. 

So teach us to number our days, that we may 
apply our hearts unto wisdom. 

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to 
the Holy Ghost ; 

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall 
be, world without end. Amen. 

Then shall follow the Lesson, taken out of the fifteenth Chapter 
of the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. 

1 Cor. xv. 20. 

NOW is Christ risen from the dead, and become 
the first fruits of them that slept. For since by 
man came death, by man came also the resurrec- 
tion of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so 
in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man 
in his own order : Christ the first-fruits ; afterward 
they that are Christ's, at his coming. Then cometh 
the end, when he shall have delivered up the king- 
dom to God, even the Father; when he shall have 
put down all rule, and all authority, and power. 
For he must reign till he hath put all enemies un- 
der his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed 
is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. 
But when he saith, all things are put under him, it 
is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all 
things under him. And when all things shall be 
subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself 
be subject unto Him that put all things under him, 



134 BUKIAL OF THE DEAD. 

that God may be all in all. Else what shall they 
do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise 
not at all ? Why are they then baptized for the 
dead ? and why stand we in jeopardy every hour 1 
I protest by your rejoicing, which I have in Christ 
Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If after the manner 
of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what 
advantageth it me, if the dead rise not 1 let us eat 
and drink, for to-morrow we die. Be not deceived : 
evil communications corrupt good manners. Awake 
to righteousness, and sin not ; for some have not 
the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. 
But some man will say, How ai*e the dead raised 
up ? and with what body do they come ? Thou fool ! 
that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it 
die. And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not 
that body that shall be, but bare grain ; it may chance 
of wheat, or of some other grain. But God giveth 
it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed 
his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh ; but 
there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of 
beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. 
There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terres- 
trial ; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the 
glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one 
glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, 
and another glory of the stars ; for one star differ- 
eth from another star in glory. So also is the res- 
urrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption ; it 
is raised in incorruption : it is sown in dishonor ; 
it is raised in glory : it is sown in weakness ; it is 
raised in power : it is sown a natural body ; it is 
raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, 
and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, 
The first man Adam was made a living soul ; the 
last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit, 



BURIAL OF THE DEAD. 



135 



that was not first which is spiritual, but that which 
is natural ; and afterward that which is spiritual. 
The first man is of the earth, earthy : the second 
man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, 
such are they that are earthy : and as is the heaven- 
ly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as 
we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall 
also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I 
say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit 
the kingdom of God ; neither doth corruption in- 
herit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery: 
we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last 
trump : for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead 
shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be 
changed. For this corruptible must put on incor- 
ruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 
So when this corruptible shall have put on incor- 
ruption, and this mortal shall have put on immor- 
tality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that 
is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O 
death, where is thy sting 1 grave, where is thy 
victory ? The sting of death is sin ; and the 
strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, 
which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye 
steadfast, un movable, always abounding in the 
work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your 
labor is not in vain in the Lord. 

When they come to the Grave, while the Corpse is made ready 
to be laid into the earth, shall be sung, or said, — 

MAN, that is born of a woman, hath but a short 
time to live, and is full of misery. He cometh 
up, and is cut down, like a flower ; he fleeth as it 
were a shadow, and never continueth in one stay. 



IdQ BTJEIAL OF THE DEAD. 

In the midst of life we are in death : of whom 
may we seek for succor, but of thee, Lord, who 
for our sins art justly displeased 1 

Yet, Lord God most holy, O Lord most 
mighty, holy and most merciful Savior, deliver 
us not into the bitter pains of eternal death. 

Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts ; 
shut not thy merciful ears to our prayer ; but spare 
us, Lord most holy, God most mighty, O holy 
and merciful Savior, thou most worthy Judge eter- 
nal, suffer us not, at our last hour, for any pains of 
death, to fall from thee. 

Then, while the earth shall be cast upon the Body by some stand- 
ing by, the Minister shall say, — 

"DOEASMUCH as it hath pleased Almighty God, 
J- in his wise providence, to take out of this world 
the soul of our deceased brother, we therefore com- 
mit kis body to the ground ; earth to earth, ashes 
to ashes, dust to dust ; looking for the general 
resurrection in the last day, and the life of the world 
to come, through our Lord Jesus Christ ; at whose 
second coming in glorious majesty to judge the 
world, the earth and the sea shall give up their 
dead ; and the corruptible bodies of those who sleep 
in him shall be changed, and made like unto his 
own glorious body ; according to the mighty work- 
ing whereby he is able to subdue all things unto 
himself. 

Then shall be said, or sung, — 

I HEARD a voice from heaven, saying unto me, 
Write, From henceforth blessed are the dead 
who die in the Lord : even so saith the Spirit ; for 
they rest from their labors. Rev. xiv. 13. 



BURIAL OF THE DEAD. 



137 



Then the Minister shall say the Lord's Prayer. 

OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy 
name. Thy kingdom come ; thy will be done 
on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our 
daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we 
forgive those who trespass against us. And lead 
us not into temptation ; but deliver us from evil. 
Amen. 

Then the Minister shall say one or both of the following Prayers, 
at his discretion. 

ALMIGHTY God, with whom do live the spirits 
of those who depart hence in the Lord, and with 
whom the souls of the faithful, after they are de- 
livered from the burden of the flesh, are in joy and 
felicity, we give thee hearty thanks for the good 
examples of all those thy servants, who, having 
finished their course in faith, do now rest from their 
labors. And we beseech thee, that we, with all those 
who are departed in the true faith of thy holy 
Name, may have our perfect consummation and 
bliss, both in body and soul, in thy eternal and 
everlasting glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

MERCIFUL God, the Father of our Lord Je- 
sus Christ, who is the resurrection and the life ; 
in whom whosoever believeth shall live, though he 
die ; and whosoever liveth, and believeth in him, 
shall not die eternally ; who also hath taught us, 
by his holy apostle Saint Paul, not to be sorry, as 
men without hope, for those who sleep in him ; we 
humbly beseech thee, Father, to raise us from the 
death of sin unto the life of righteousness ; that, 
when we shall depart this life, we may rest in him ; 
and that, at the general resurrection in the last day, 



X38 FUNERAL HYMNS. 

we may be found acceptable in tby sight ; and re- 
ceive that blessing, which thy well-beloved Son 
shall then pronounce to all who love and fear thee, 
saying, Come, ye blessed children of my Father, 
receive the kingdom prepared for you from the be- 
ginning of the world. Grant this, we beseech thee, 
O merciful Father, through Jesus Christ, our Medi- 
ator and Redeemer. Amen. 

THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love 
of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, 
be with us all evermore. Amen. 



fmml Spin 

From the Book of Common Prayer. 

HYMN 124. C. M. 

TTEAR what the voice from heaven declares 
•*-*• To those in Christ who die ; 
Released from all their earthly cares, 
They'll reign with him on high. 

2 Then why lament departed friends, 

Or shake at death's alarms ? 
Death's but the servant Jesus sends 
To call us to his arms. 

3 If sin be pardoned, we're secure ; 

Death hath no sting beside ; 
The law gave sin its strength and power, 
But Christ our ransom died. 



FUNEJRAL HYMNS. 

4 The graves of all his saints he blessed, 

"When in the grave he lay ; 
And rising thence, their hopes he raised 
To everlasting day. 

5 Then joyfully, while life we have, 

To Christ, our life, we'll sing, 
" Where is thy victory, grave 1 
And where, death, thy sting 1 " 

HYMN 125. C. M. 

TITHEN those we love are snatcned away 
' ' By death's resistless hand, 
Our hearts the mournful tribute pay, 
That friendship must demand. 

2 While pity prompts the rising sigh, 
With awful power impressed, 
May this dread truth, " I, too, must die," 
Sink deep in every breast. 



139 



3 Let this vain world allure no more ; 

Behold the opening tomb ; 
It bids us use the present hour ; 
To-morrow death may come. 

4 The voice of this instructive scene 

May every heart obey ; 



140 FUNERAL HYMNS. 

Nor be the faithful warning vain 
Which calls to watch and pray. 

5 0, let us to that Savior fly 
Whose arm alone can save ; 
Then shall our hopes ascend on high, 
And triumph o'er the grave. 



H 



HYMN 126. C. M. 
DEATH OP A YOUNG PERSON. 

OW short the race our friend has run, 

Cut down in all his bloom : 
The course but yesterday begun, 
Now finished in the tomb. 



2 Thou joyous youth, hence learn how soon 

Thy years may end their flight : 

Long, long before life's brilliant noon 

May come death's gloomy night. 

3 To serve thy God no longer wait ; 

To-day his voice regard ; 
To-morrow, mercy's open gate 
May be forever barred. 

4 And thus the Lord reveals his grace, 

Thy youthful love to gain : 
The soul that early seeks my face 
Shall never seek in vain. 



FUNERAL HYMNS. 



141 



HYMN 127. 
DEATH OP AN INFANT. 

\ S the sweet flower that scents the morn, 
■**• But withers in the rising day, 
Thus lovely was this infant's dawn, 
Thus swiftly fled its life away. 

2 It died ere its expanding soul 

Had ever burned with wrong desires, 
Had ever spurned at Heaven's control, 
Or ever quenched its sacred fires. 

3 It died to sin, it died to cares, 

But for a moment felt the rod ; 
mourner, such, the Lord declares, 
Such are the children of our God. 



SnJtex tn lUuMtig gutter. 



PART SECOND. 



The Path of Sorrow, &c 149 

Lines to the Afflicted 150 

Miscellaneous Selections for Reading to the Sick and 

Afflicted: from the Scriptures 151 

To the Sorrowful 151 

Invitations to the Sinner 152 

Promises of Pardon to the Penitent 153 

Psalms to be read before offering Prayer 155 

A supplicatory Psalm 155 

Another 156 

Another 157 

Passages of Scripture to be used on Occasion of sad 

Affliction, No.1 158 

No. 2 159 

No. 3 160 

No. 4 160 

Addresses. No. 1 161 

No. 2 162 

No. 3 165 

No. 4 167 

No. 5 170 

No. 6 172 

Miscellaneous Reading, intended for the Comfort and 
Encouragement of those who are actively engaged 

in the Works of Charity and Benevolence 174-180 

(143) 



144 INDEX TO HEADING MATTEB. 

To the dying Sunday School Teacher 180 

Charity 182 

Afflictions • 183 

Design of Afflictions 184 

On the Duties of the Afflicted 185 

Examples of Prayer under Affliction 186 

Duty of Patience 187 

Duty of Resignation 187 

Examples of Resignation 188 

Hope 188 

Reliance on the divine Promises for Support 188 

Examples of firm Reliance on God in Afflictions 189 

Influence of Religion 190 

Design of God in afflicting his People 192 

Trials necessary 192 

Efficacy of Prayer 193 

Duty of Christians 195 

Objects of Christian Hope 195 

The dying Christian 196 

O Death, where is thy Sting 197 

The Christian's Death Bed 198 

Why should I fear to die? 198 

Sinners invited to Christ 199 

When of the world grown tired 201 

Benefit of Afflictions 203 

Anecdote related by Mr. Whitefield 204 

Another, in Relation to the purifying of Silver 205 

Submission 206 

Use of Affliction 207 

Consolations of Religion 209 

Compassion and Condescension of Christ 211 

The doubting Penitent 212 

Lines suggested by a sick Christian's State 213 

Sin must be renounced 215 

Efficacy of Christ's Merits 215 



INDEX TO BEADING MATTER. 145 

Christ the Light of Life 216 

The Holy Spirit needed daily 216 

God a God of Covenant 217 

God's Mercy to Saints 217 

Christ's Love 217 

Antinomian Doctrines 218 

The convinced Sinner believing in Christ 219 

Christ unchangeable 220 

Pardon 221 

On the Comfort derived from the Bible 223 

Christ our Confidence 225 

Difference between the Righteous and the Wicked 226 

Voltaire 227 - 

Prayer 227 

Hoi iness 227 

Christians should be happy 228 

Love of God to the Christian 228 

The divine Goodness 229 

Death of the Good 230 

The Land which no Mortal may know 231 

Assurance 232 

Strong Faith recommended 232 

God the chief Source of Comfort 232 

Safety of the Christian 233 

Fear of God 233 

Heaven 233 

A Saint the Temple of God 234 

The Body the only Partition between God and the 

Christian 234 

Consequences of Vice 235 

Influence of Christian Hope 237 

Vigilance requisite 238 

Efficacy of Christ's Merits 239 

Oxenstiern 239 

J. Mason 241 

Salmasius 242 

10 



146 INDEX TO BEADING MATTER. 

John Locke 342 

James Hervey 242 

Dr. Watts 244 

Lines on the Death of a Child 245 

Happy Condition of the Believer 247 

Christians should rejoice 249 

Prayer 250 

Happy Deaths 251 

Mrs. H 254 

Power of Religion 257 

Benefits of a Savior '.'. 261 

" The Resurrection and the Life "....... 262 

Death not dreaded by the Christian 263 

Heaven opened ................... 264 

Recognition in Heaven 265 

Present Enjoyment and future Prospect of the Christian. 266 

Death of an aged Believer....... 268 

Death the Path to Glory 269 

The Dead 270 

Persons seriously ill should be made acquainted with 

their Condition 270 

Death of the Righteous 271 

Advantages of the Christian in his dying Hour 273 

Departed Friends 275 

The Land of the Blest '.. 276 

Death of an only Son 277 

The Dead in Christ 278 

On the Loss of a Child 279 

Death of an Infant 280 

On the Loss of a Wife 281 

Death of Friends 283 

Happiness of Heaven 284 

Heaven 2g 6 

Eternity -# 2g7 

The holy City [ 290 

Appendix goi 



LIST OF HYMNS. 147 



2Lfst of IQgmns suftable foe tfje Sicft ant» 
&fflfctefc. 

When gathering clouds around I view 160 

Lord, unafflicted, undismayed 161 

Tia my happiness below 183 

God moves in a mysterious way 12 

When I can read my title clear 147 

I would not live alway : I ask not to stay 187 

Peace, troubled soul, whose plaintive moan 130 

O, let triumphant faith dispel 141 

Thus speaks the High and Holy One 207 

How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord 144 

Jesus, Savior of my soul 143 

Lo, what a cloud of witnesses 212 

Who are these in bright array 201 

Be still, my heart, these anxious cares 157 

Vital spark of heavenly flame. 191 

When rising from the bed of death 192 

O, where shall rest be found 196 

How short the race our friend has run 126 

When those we love are snatched away 125 

Hear what the voice from heaven declares 124 

As the sweet flower that scents the mom 127 

When rising from the bed of death 192 

Hark ! from the tombs a mournful sound 189 

Great God, what do I see and hear 194 

Lord, with glowing heart I'd praise thee 150 

With joy shall I behold the day 28 

Sovereign Ruler of the skies 11 

All-glorious God, what hymns of praise 15 

O for a closer walk with God 182 

How long shall earth's alluring toys 197 



148 SELECT BEADING. 

Father, whate'er of earthly bliss 156 

Guide me, O thou great Jehovah 177 

There is a land of pure delight 199 

When all thy mercies, O my God 10 

Prayer is the soul's sincere desire 134 

The Spirit in our hearts 131 

The Lord my pasture shall prepare 9 

Rise, my soul, and stretch thy wings 145 



Select Chapters for a sfcft 3&oom. 

Hebrews 12. 

1 Peter 1, 
Romans 5, 6, 7, and 8. 

2 Corinthians 5. 
1 Corinthians 15. 

St. John 14, 15, 16, and 17. 

Matthew 5 and 25. 

Psalms 6, 34, 38, 102, 51, 130, 103, 116, and 145. 



$art immft. 



" The path of sorrow, and that path alone, 
Leads to the land where sorrow is un- 
known ; 
No traveller e'er reached that blest abode 
Who found not thorns and briers in the 

ROAD." 

(149) 



LINES TO THE AFFLICTED. 



Say not the grave to all is gloom, 
In punishment for sin though given ; 

For Christ hath blessed and proved the tomb 
To be the entering gate of heaven. 

God's chastenings, all, will blessings prove ; 

The pains, the fears, the pangs here given 
But mark the glowing beams of love, 

That flow from radiant crowns in heaven 

Who suffers most, and patient proves; 

Who breathes in tears the contrite prayer j 
The more feels pain, still more he loves ; 

The promised crown shall brighter wear ; — 

Assured that all affliction* here 

Secures a greater glory there, 
Where sorrow, sigh, and grieving tear 

Dim not the joy the face shall wear. 

O, fear not then the grave, — the pall ; 

'Tis but the door, — the screening veil, 
'Twixt hope and heaven, and glories all; 

The promised joys that ne'er will fail. 



2 Cor. iv. and xvil. 



(150) 



FOR READING TO THE SICK AND AFFLICTED. 

The following are from the Scriptures. 
TO THE SORROWFUL. 

MY son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, 
neither be weary of his correction ; for whom 
the Lord loveth he correcteth, even as a father a 
son in whom he delighteth. 

If he cause grief, yet will he have compassion, 
according to the multitude of his tender mercies. 
For he doth not willingly afflict or grieve the chil- 
dren of men, but doeth it only for their good. 
For the Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to an- 
ger and of great kindness. Like as a father pitieth 
his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. 
He will not alway chide, neither will he keep his 
anger forever. For he knoweth our frame, and re- 
membereth that we are but dust. A bruised reed will 
he not break, and smoking flax will he not quench. 
He dealeth not with us according to our sins, nor 
rewardeth us according to our iniquities ; but as 
the heavens are higher than the earth, so great is 
his goodness towards them that fear him. He hath 
never despised nor abhorred the affliction of the 
afflicted, neither hath he hid his face from him; 
but when he cried unto him he heard. He is nigh 
unto all them who call upon him ; to all who call 
upon him in truth, that those who mourn may be 
exalted in safety. 

(151) 



152 MISCELLANEOUS SELECTIONS. 

Call upon me, saith the Lord, in the time of 
trouble, and I will deliver you, and you shall glo- 
rify me. I will set the poor in safety, and be a 
refuge for the oppressed — a refuge in the time of 
trouble. When the poor and needy seek water, 
and there is none, and their tongue faileth for 
thirst, I, the Lord, will hear them. I, the God of 
Israel, will not forsake them. I will bring the 
blind by a way that they know not ; I will lead 
them in paths which they have not known ; I will 
make darkness light before them, and crooked 
things straight. These things will I do for them, 
and will not forsake them. Yea, the mountains 
shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kind- 
ness shall not depart from them ; neither shall the 
covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord, 
that hath mercy upon thee. 

Let not your heart then be troubled, neither let 
it be afraid ; for if he. hath torn, he will heal ; if he 
hath smitten, he will bind you up ; and your light 
affliction which is but for a moment, shall work for 
you a far more exceeding and eternal weight of 
glory. Yea, trust in the Lord, and fear not; for 
the Lord Jehovah will be your strength and your 
song; yea, he will become your salvation. And 
under the shadow of his wings shall you abide in 
safety, till every calamity be overpassed. 

INVITATIONS TO THE SINNER. 

INCLINE your ear and come unto me, saith the 
Lord; hear, and your soul shall live ; and I will 
make an everlasting covenant with you, even the 
sure mercies of David. I, even I, am he that blot- 
teth out thy transgressions, and will not remember 
thy sins. I will blot out as a cloud thy transgres- 



MISCELLANEOUS SELECTIONS. 



153 



sions ; return unto mc, for I have redeemed thee. 
As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the 
death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from 
his way and live ; turn ye, turn ye from your 
wicked ways ; why will ye die ? Wash you, make 
you clean ; put away the evil of your doings ; cease 
to do evil, learn to do well. Have I any pleasure 
at all that the wicked should die, and that he should 
not turn from his ways and live ? Repent ye, there- 
fore ; cast away all your transgressions ; for I have 
no pleasure in your death. Though your sins be 
as scarlet, they shall be white as snow ; though 
they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are 
my ways as your ways ; for as the heavens are 
higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than 
your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

If, therefore, the wicked will turn from all his 
transgressions that he hath committed, and keep 
my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, 
he shall surely live, — he shall not die; all his 
transgressions that he hath committed, they shall 
not be mentioned to him ; in the righteousness he 
hath done, he shall live. Because he considereth 
and turneth away from his transgressions that he 
hath committed, he shall surely live ; he shall not 
die. 'Wherefore return, ye backsliding children, 
and I will heal your backslidings, and will make a 
covenant of peace with you, and it shall be an ever- 
lasting covenant. 



PROMISES OF PARDON TO THE PENITENT. 

IF we say that we have no sin, we deceive our- 
selves, and the truth is not in us ; but if we con- 
fess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us 



154 MISCELLANEOUS SELECTIONS. 

our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteous- 
ness. 

Be it known unto you, therefore, that through 
Christ is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. 
Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins 
of the world ! he shall save his people from their 
sins. Surely he was wounded for our transgres- 
sions ; he was bruised for our iniquities ; the chas- 
tisement of our peace was upon him ; and with his 
stripes we are healed. The Lord hath laid upon 
him the iniquity of us all. He was made a sin- 
offering for us, that we might be made the right- 
eousness of God in him. 

Now, if any man sin, we have an Advocate with 
the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous ; and 
he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours 
only, hut also for the sins of the whole world. It 
is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, 
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sin- 
ners. And in this was manifested the love of God 
towards us, in that he sent his only-begotten Son 
into the world, that we might live through him. 
Herein is love ; not that we loved God, but that he 
loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for 
our sins. Now, if, when we were enemies, we were 
reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much 
more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 
There is, therefore, no condemnation to them who 
are in Christ ; who walk not after the flesh, but 
after the Spirit. For God hath reconciled the world 
unto himself by Christ, — not imputing their tres- 
passes unto them. Wherefore, unto Him that loved 
us, and hath washed us from our sins in his own 
blood, to him be glory and dominion forever and 
ever. Amen. 



MISCELLANEOUS SELECTIONS. 155 



PSALMS TO BE READ BEFORE OFFERING PRATER. 

TO the Lord our God belong mercies and forgive- 
ness, though we have rebelled against him. 

Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord 
our God, to walk in his laws which he set before us. 

He looketh upon men, and if any say, " I have 
sinned and perverted that which is right, and it 
profiteth me not, he will deliver his soul from go- 
ing down into the pit, and his life shall see the 
light." 

For Christ once suffered for sins, the just for the 
unjust, that he might bring us to God ; being put 
to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit ; 

Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right 
hand of God ; angels, and authorities, and powers 
being made subject to him. 

Wherefore he is able to save them to the utter- 
most that come unto God by him, seeing he ever 
liveth to make intercession for them. 

For we have not an high priest that cannot be 
touched with a feeling of our infirmities, but was 
in all points tempted like as we are, yet without 
sin. 

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of 
grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to 
help in time of need. 

A SUPPLICATORY PSALM. 

HEAR our crying, God ; give ear unto our 
prayers. 
From the ends of the earth will we call upon 
thee, when our hearts are in heaviness. 

The Lord will be a defence for the oppressed ; 
even a refuge in due time of trouble. 



156 MISCELLANEOUS SELECTIONS. 

And they that know thy name will put their 
trust in thee; for thou, Lord, hast never failed 
them that seek thee. 

Comfort the souls of thy servants ; for unto thee, 
Lord, do we lift up our voice. 

For thou, Lord, art good and gracious, and of 
great mercy unto all them that call upon thee. 

Give ear, Lord, to our prayers, and ponder the 
voice of our humble desires. 

Remember us, Lord, according to the favor 
thou bearest unto thy people, and visit us with thy 
salvation ; 

That we may see the felicity of thy chosen, and 
rejoice in the gladness of thy people, and give 
thanks with thine inheritance. 

The Lord delivereth the souls of his servants, 
and all they that put their trust in him shall not 
be destitute. 

ANOTHER. 

TN thee, Lord, have I put my trust ; let me 
i- never be put to confusion, but rid me and de- 
liver me in thy righteousness ; incline thine ear 
unto me and save me. 

Be thou my stronghold, whereunto I may always 
resort ; thou hast promised to help me, for thou art 
my house of defence and my castle. 

Hear my prayers then, O Lord, and consider my 
desire ; hearken unto me for thy truth and right- 
eousness' sake. 

And enter not into judgment with thy servant ; 
for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. 

Call to remembrance, Lord, thy tender mer- 
cies and thy loving kindness, which have been ever 
of old. 0, remember not the sins and offences of 
my youth ; but according to thy mercy, think upon 
me, O Lord, according to thy goodness. 



MISCELLANEOUS SELECTIONS. 



157 



Help me, O God of my salvation, for the glory 
of thy name ; let thy loving kindness and thy truth 
always preserve me. Cast me not away in the 
time of trouble ; forsake me not when my strength 
faileth me. 

Thou art my Helper and my Redeemer ; make 
no long tarrying, O my God. 



ANOTIIER. 



From the 39th Psalm. 



LORD, let me know my end and the number of 
my days, that I may be certified how long I 
have to live. 

Behold, thou hast made our days as it were a 
span long, and mine age is even as nothing in re- 
spect to thee ; and, verily, every man living is al- 
together vanity. 

For man walketh in a vain shadow, and dis- 
quieteth himself in vain ; he heapeth up riches, and 
cannot tell who shall gather them. 

And now, Lord, what is my hope 1 truly, my 
hope is even in thee. Deliver me from all my of- 
fences, and make me not a rebuke unto the foolish. 
I became dumb, and opened not my mouth, for it 
was thy doing. Take thy plague away from me. 
I am even" consumed by means of thy heavy hand. 
"When thou with rebukes dost chasten man for sin, 
thou makest his beauty to consume away, like as 
it were a moth fretting a garment; every man, 
therefore, is but vanity. 

Hear my prayer, Lord, and with thine ears 
consider my calling ; hold not thy peace at my 
tears : for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, 
as all my fathers were. 



158 PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE. 

0, spare me a little, that I may recover my 
strength before I go hence, and be no more seen. 



PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE TO BE USED ON OCCA- 
SION OF SAD AFFICTION. 

No. 1. 

MAN that is born of woman is of few days and 
full of trouble. He cometh forth as a flower, 
and is cut down ; he fleeth also as a shadow, and 
continueth not. His days are determined; the 
number of his months are with thee, Lord ; thou 
hast appointed his bounds, that he cannot pass. 

As a cloud is consumed and vanisheth away, so 
he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no 
more. He shall return no more to his house ; 
neither shall his place know him any more. 

I have said to corruption, " Thou art my father ; 
and to the worm, Thou art my mother and my sis- 
ter." All flesh shall perish together, and man shall 
turn again to dust. They shall lie down alike in 
the dust, and the worms shall cover them. They 
shall go down to the bars of the pit, and rest to- 
gether in the dust. 

There the wicked cease from troubling, and there 
the weary be at rest. There the prisoners rest to- 
gether ; they hear not the voice of the oppressor. 
The small and great are there, and the servant is 
free from his master. 

But thy dead men shall live ; together with my 
dead body shall they arise. For I know that my 
Eedeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the 
latter day upon the earth. And though after my 
skin worms destroy this body, vet in my flesh shall 
I see God, whom I shall see for myself, and not 
another. 



PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE. 159 

Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from 
henceforth. Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may 
rest from their labors. 

No. 2. 

LOKD, thou hast been our refuge from one gen- 
eration to another. Before the mountains were 
brought forth, or ever the earth and the world were 
made, thou art God from everlasting, and world 
without end. Thou turnest man to destruction ; 
again thou sayest, Come again, ye children of men. 
For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yes- 
terday ; seeing that it is past as a watch in the 
night. As soon as thou scatterest them, they are 
even as a sleep, and fade away suddenly as the 
grass. In the morning it is green, and groweth 
up ; in the evening it is cut down, and dried up, and 
withered. For we consume away in thy displeas- 
ure, and are afraid at thy wrathful indignation. 
Thou hast set our misdeeds before thee, and our 
secret sins in the light of thy countenance. For 
when thou art angry, all our days are gone ; we 
bring our years to an end, as it were a tale that is 
told. The days of our age are threescore years and 
ten ; and though men be so strong that they come 
to fourscore years, yet is their strength then but 
labor and sorrow ; so soon passeth it away, and we 
are gone. But who regardeth the power of thy 
wrath 9 for even thereafter as a man feareth, so is 
thy displeasure. So teach us to number our days, 
that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. 



160 PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE. 

NO. 3. 

SHALL we receive good at the hand of the Lord, 
and shall we not receive evil 1 The Lord gave, 
and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the 
name of the Lord. 

I would not have you ignorant, brethren, con- 
cerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not 
as others which have no hope. For the trumpet 
shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorrupt- 
ible, and we shall be changed. For this corrupt- 
ible must put on in corruption, and this mortal 
must put on immortality. So, when this corrupt- 
ible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal 
shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought 
to pass the saying that is written, " Death is swal- 
lowed up in victory." 

death, where is thy sting ? O grave, where is 
thy victory 1 The sting of death is sin, and the 
strength of sin is the law ; but thanks be to God 
who giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus 
Christ. 

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, 
immovable, always abounding in the work of the 
Lord ; forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not 
in vain in the Lord. 

No. 4. 

T WOULD not have you ignorant brethren con- 
J- cerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow 
not even as others which have not hope. For if 
we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so 
them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with 
him. For the Lord himself shall descend from 
heaven with the voice of the archangel, and with 



ADDRESSES. 161 

the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall 
rise first. Then we. which are alive and remain, 
shall he caught up together with them in the clouds 
to meet the Lord in the air. and so shall we ever 
he with the Lord. 

For the Lord Jesus Christ shall change our vile 
that it may be fashioned like unto his glo- 
rious body, according to the working whereby he 
is able to subdue all things unto himself. 

Wherefore, beloved, comfort yourselves with 
these words. 



No. 1. 

MY Friend : Laid as you now are on a sick 
bed, it is some consolation to know that your 
illness has not happened by chance ; but that* it is 
the appointment of God. — of a wise and good 
God, — and that he has ordered it for wise and 
salutary purposes. He takes no pleasure in afflict- 
ing any of his creatures, but, on the contrary, de- 
lights in their happiness : and were it not that they 
stood in need of discipline of the kind, he would 
not afflict them as he does. " God," says the apos- 
tle, " does not willingly afflict or grieve the children 
of men ; but doeth it only for their good, that they 
may be partakers of his holiness.'' He treats them 
as a wise and kind parent treats his children, and 
withholds not correction from them when they 
stand in need of it. " Whom the Lord loveth. he 
correcteth ; even as a father a child in whom he 
delighteth." His corrections are medicinal, and 
11 



162 ADDBESSES. 

designed for wholesome purposes. For though 
many are the afflictions of his children, they have 
nothing penal in them ; but are merely like the fire 
to the gold, and pruning to the vine, and medicine 
to the patient, and correction to the child. By 
means of them he would qualify his people, not 
only for the more comfortable enjoyment of the 
present life, but for the fruition of that eternal state 
of happiness which he has in reserve for them here- 
after. " Our light afflictions," saith the apostle, 
"work for us a far more exceeding and eternal 
weight of glory." Be resigned, therefore, to the 
will of God 5 seeing he doeth all things wisely, 
and that he hath pi-omised " to make all things 
work together for our good." And be concerned 
to have this present sickness of your body sanc- 
tified to your spiritual benefit, and to derive from 
it that improvement which it is obviously intended 
to promote. By so doing, you will have reason to 
be thankful for it, and like the Psalmist to say, " It 
is good for me that I have been afflicted." (See 
161st Hymn.) 

No. 2. 

MY Friend : Afflictive dispensations, however 
painful to the body and distressing to the 
mind, are gracious visitations designed of God to 
promote our spiritual benefit. They afford oppor- 
tunities for solemn thought, holy meditation, se- 
rious inquiry, important reflection, and faithful 
self-examination. By them we are reminded of 
our dependence upon God ; that life and health are 
at his disposal, and that it is an easy thing for him 
to bring us down to the dust of death. When 
rightly exercised, the mind under their influence is 
humbled, the heart is softened, the will brought 



ADDRESSES. 163 

into submission, and a teachableness of disposition 
produced. They call into exercise, faith, patience, 
submission, prayer, and every Christian grace and 
virtue ; and not only make us better acquainted 
with God and the preciousness of his promises, but 
also serve to make us better acquainted with our- 
selves, to wean us from the world and from sin, 
and to make us humble and holy. By them num- 
bers have been brought to repent of their sinful 
conduct, and to live sober, righteous, and holy lives. 
Blessed is the man, says David, whom the Lord 
correcteth. And he himself hath left it on record, 
'• that it was good for him that he had been afflict- 
ed." And thousands have since expressed the 
same sentiment. As evidences of their salutary 
benefit, many instances might be adduced. Three 
only will here be mentioned. 

A young man, who had been long confined with 
a diseased limb, and was near his death, was at- 
tended by a friend, who requested that the wound 
might be uncovered. When this was done, 
" There," said he. " there it is, and a most precious 
treasure it has been to me ; it saved me from the 
folly and vanity of youth ; it made me cleave to 
God as my only portion, and to eternal glory as 
my only hope ; and I think it has now brought me 
very near my Father's house." 

When a distinguished individual lay sick, and 
bis friends asked him how he did, he pointed to 
his sores and ulcers, and said, " These are God's 
gems and jewels, wherewith he decketh his best 
friends ; and to me they are more precious than all 
the gold and silver in the world." 

It is said of Dr. Watts, that from his most early 
infancy to his dying day, he scarcely ever knew 
what health was ; yet we* are told that he looked 



164 ADDRESSES. 

upon this affliction as the greatest blessing of his 
life. And the reason he assigned for it was, " that 
being naturally of a warm temper and ambitious 
disposition, these visitations weaned his affections 
from the world, and brought every passion in sub- 
jection to the divine will." 

Thus have many had reason to bless God for 
afflictions, as being the instruments in his hand of 
promoting the welfare of their immortal souls. 
_ Be not disquieted, then, by your present afflic- 
tion ; but endeavor to bear it calmly and patient- 
ly, and to derive from it that spiritual improvement 
which it is designed to promote. Pray earnestly 
to God to sanctify it to your good, and 'to make it 
the means of purifying your heart, and of qualify- 
ing you for the enjoyment of his presence here- 
after. Recollect, that it is in this way that he pre- 
pares his people for his presence, and that it is 
through much tribulation that they enter into his 
kingdom. 

" The path of sorrow, and that path alone, 
Leads to the land where sorrow is unknown ; 
No traveller e'er reached that blest abode 
Who found not thorns and briers in the road." 

Better is it to suffer a little while now, than to 
be left to ourselves and condemned with the world 
hereafter. And for your comfort bear in mind, that 
you shall " not be afflicted above your strength " 
nor any longer than God sees good for you For 
though now in the furnace of affliction, the Savior 
is not absent from you. He sees you ; and not only 
so, but sits by you, and tempers the flame. His 
wisdom will not let it be too cool. His love will 
not allow it to exceed the necessary degree of 
warmth. As soon as you are purified — as soon as 



ADDRESSES. 



165 



the end is accomplished for which this affliction 
was designed — he will then remove it; he will 
then take you out of the furnace. Strive, then, so 
to act, that you may come forth purified and re- 
fined like as gold and silver, reflecting the image 
of your Savior in your renewed character ; and 
then will this your light affliction of a moment 
work for you an exceeding and eternal weight of 
glory. 

" In the furnace God may prove thee, 

Thence to bring thee forth more bright ; 

But can never cease to love thee ; 
Thou art precious in his sight. 

God is with thee — 

God, thine everlasting light." 

No. 3. 

MY Friend : God has now laid you upon this bed 
of sickness that you might be withdrawn from 
the bustle of the world, and have an opportunity 
of reflecting on your spiritual condition, and of 
attending to the things that concern your eternal 
interests. It becomes you, then, to improve this 
opportunity, and to derive from it the benefit it is 
so well calculated to effect, Ask yourself, there- 
fore, if you are prepared for the other world, — if 
you are prepared to stand in the presence of your 
Judge. Have you faithfully endeavored to im- 
prove all the blessed privileges which God has 
bestowed upon you for this end 1 Have you made 
it your endeavor to live in obedience to his will, 
and to glorify him in all your conduct ? Have 
you loved him with all your heart, and soul, and 
strength, and endeavored to please him in aU 
things ? Have you never knowingly and wilfully 



166 ADDRESSES. 

committed sin ? Permit conscience to speak while 
you endeavor to recollect all the thoughts that 
have occupied your mind ; all the words you have 
uttered ; all the actions you have done. Do they 
all correspond with the law of God ? What does 
conscience reply to this investigation ? Will it not 
pass sentence against you 1 Reflect for a moment. 
To whom has your youth been devoted ? Was it 
not to the world ? And where is the good you 
have done? where the glory you have given to 
God? my friend, your conscience will urge 
you to confess, that you have often sinned against 
God by transgressing his laws. If so, then ac- 
knowledge the conviction of your conscience. 
Consider that you have to do with that God who 
can see the innermost recesses of the soul; be- 
fore whom all things are naked and open, and from 
whom nothing can be concealed ; who has heard 
all the sinful words you have spoken ; who knows 
all the secret, evil desires you have cherished in 
your heart ; who is acquainted with all the ways 
in which you have walked ; who has observed all 
the actions you have done through life. Yes, my 
friend, confess yourself a sinner, — a poor, miser- 
able sinner, — and let tears of sorrow accompany 
the grateful emotions of your heart, that God, who 
might have justly cut you off in your sins, has 
spared you till the present moment. Be thankful 
that now — even now — he is making overtures of 
mercy. Look upon this affliction as an evidence 
of the divine goodness, intended to secure your 
salvation. Humble yourself before God, and pray, 
with fervor and sincerity of soul, that he will show 
you the sinfulness of your heartj and that, in view 
of the same, you may be able to exercise that godly 
sorrow which worketh repentance unto salvation. 



ADDRESSES. 167 

Pray, too, for a saving interest in the blood of Je- 
sus, that so your sins may be pardoued and your 
guilt removed; that you may be clothed with 
his righteousness, and be reconciled to God. 0, 
yield obedience to the influence of his Spirit, that 
God may accomplish his benevolent purpose with 
respect to you. Be astonished at the boundless 
love of God, and at the infinite compassion of your 
Redeemer, and behold in that love your only ground 
of hope, that God has no pleasure in your death ; 
and in this compassion, that Christ has purchased 
grace and salvation for you. Avail yourself of 
your precious privilege while you have an oppor- 
tunity to do so, and betake yourself to the refuge 
provided for you in the gospel. Delay not to do 
so one moment longer. Follow this advice, which 
is given with no other view than to promote your 
everlasting welfare. Then will your soul enjoy 
rest ; yea, a peace which passe th all understanding. 
While you live, you will live happy ; and when you 
die, you will depart with a comfortable hope of a 
blissful immortality. 

No. 4. 

MY Friend : As it hath pleased the Lord to call 
you to repentance by this present sickness, it 
becomes you to take this dispensation into serious 
consideration. I know that you do not deny that 
you are a sinner. I know that you are not indif- 
ferent to the voice of your conscience, while it is 
urging you to this acknowledgment. I know that 
you feel distressed in view of your sins ; and that 
you are disposed to fly for refuge to the grace of 
God and the merits of Christ. But whence comes 
this anguish of your soul ? From fear of death '« 



168 ADDRESSES. 

Suppose your health had been preserved ; would 
you have thought of your sins and been sorrowful ? 
Ah, my friend, if your present sickness and the 
apprehension of death be the cause of your sorrow, 
your repentance is not genuine. The true cause 
of your grief should be founded in having offended 
the God of love, and in having slighted Christ's pre- 
cious redemption. Therefore examine the cause 
of your grief, that you be not deceived. I know 
that Christ and his merits are valuable in your esti- 
mation ; but does the love of Jesus constrain you 
to hate sin, to renounce every evil practice, and to 
devote your life to his service 1 Does the grace of 
God teach you practically to deny all ungodliness 
and worldly lusts 1 and is it your intention to live 
soberly, righteously, and godly in the present 
world] My dear friend, answer these questions 
as in the presence of God. We know from sad 
experience that many, having escaped from their 
sick bed, have returned to their former habits, and 
walked in their sinful ways. Thus, by their con- 
duct, they exhibited the mournful evidence that 
their repentance was not sincere. Now, should you 
deceive yourself in this matter, this deception 
might be to you the cause of everlasting sorrow. 
True repentance implies a change of heart, and a 
thorough reformation of life. The man who is 
really converted abhors all sin, and feels an ardent 
desire to devote himself entirely to the service of God 
and the promotion of the Redeemer's cause. There- 
fore, I again say, examine yourself impartially, 
that you may ascertain your sincerity before God, 
and the genuine character of your convictions. 
And rest not short of the real, substantial, and un- 
deniable evidences of that conversion which the 
Savior requires ; knowing that they who thus seek 



ADDRESSES. 169 

God sincerely, in his own appointed way, shall find 
him to be, in their own experience, the God of their 
salvation. What God principally requires is sin- 
cerity. If the sinner is but sincere, is anxious to 
be converted, submits to all the known require- 
ments of the gospel, really hates sin, and earnestly 
desires to be devoted to God, — with such repent- 
ance the Lord is well pleased ; for he looketh at 
the heart. 

The following will serve to illustrate the charac- 
ter of true conversion : — 

God brought a gentleman of distinction on his" 
sick bed, whose example had a visible and power- 
ful influence upon the lives of many others. He 
had led many astray by his Avicked example. His 
pastor found him in a state of total indifference 
and insensibility. Having spoken to him in a 
lively and affecting manner of the great duty of 
glorifying God, and of the numerous opportunities 
which the Lord had afforded him of doing good to 
his fellow-men, the pastor proceeded to a close 
examination of his heart, when he cast down his 
eyes, overwhelmed with shame, and cried aloud, 
" Lord, what an odious sinner lies here ! " He then 
gave him some directions about what he should 
pray for, and particularly for a lively knowledge 
of his sins, and then left him. In a few hours after 
this, he was again sent for. Grace had now arrest- 
ed him in a peculiar manner. He wrung his hands, 
cried aloud, denouueed his whole life, sent for all 
those whom he had misled, spoke to them in a very 
affecting and impressive manner, and showed them, 
by his own example, that the ways of sin were un- 
easiness of heart, torment of soul, and rackings of 
conscience. How he wished he could recall every 
hour of his former life, that he might spend them 



170 ADDRESSES. 

more properly! Having striven and wrestled a 
long time, God at length granted him peace ; for 
he ardently hungered and thirsted after the right- 
eousness of Christ. He obtained the assurance of 
the pardon of all his sins. A few days after, hav- 
ing passed through many trials, but not suffering 
any thing to estrange him from the grace of God 
in Christ Jesus, he bade adieu to the world, and 
entered into glory. His pastor evidently perceived 
that grace had discovered to him his most secret 
sins, and that those which formerly appeared to 
him very trifling caused him great uneasiness and 
concern. 

No. 5. 

MY Friend : If you have examined your past life 
sincerely and impartially, as in the presence of 
God, your own conscience will convince you of the 
necessity of humbling yourself before God, while 
you Avill stand self-condemned in his presence. 
God requires of those who would obtain an inter- 
est in his mercy to be sincere ; that they may not 
flatter nor deceive themselves, nor endeavor to 
cloak their sins. Hence, like David, they will pray 
for an upright heart : ' : Search me, God, and 
know my heart ; try me, and know my thoughts, 
and see if there be any wicked way in me, and 
lead me in the way everlasting." Thus will you 
be disposed to pray, if your conversion to God is 
sincere. In no case is deception more dangerous 
than in this momentous concern. In the eternal 
world this deception cannot be corrected. There- 
fore be thankful, my friend, that God has added 
another day to your existence, and so improve it 
that you may work out your salvation. Collect 
now your thoughts, and reflect sincerely on the 



ADDRESSES. 



171 



whole of your past life, and your own conscience 
will charge you with sins at which you will be 
alarmed. You will be grieved for having known 
the will of God, and yet not having done it. You 
will be grieved on account of your ingratitude to 
God, your kind Benefactor, for his numerous and 
great mercies. You will be grieved for the insen- 
sibility and security in which you have lived ; for 
having devoted so much of your time to the world, 
and so little to God. And not only will you be 
sensibly affected on account of your sinfulness, 
but the grace of God will be esteemed precious to 
you. Yes, if truly penitent, you will earnestly 
seek, and truly improve it to the salvation of your 
soul. You will be grateful that God is still good, 
and merciful, and gracious ; and your sick bed will 
be to you a most instructive school of wisdom. 
How sincerely, how humbly will you confess your 
sins to God, and with what sincerity will you seek 
his pardoning mercy ! How sweet will those words 
of life be to you, " This is a faithful saying, and 
worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came 
into the world to save sinners ! " O, how precious 
will Christ crucified, his meritorious sufferings and 
death, be to you ! How humbly will you believe 
in his name ! And with what anxious solicitude 
will you appropriate to yourself the blessings of 
his salvation ! Yes, then will you form the sincere 
and unalterable determination to submit to God 
unconditionally, and to devote the residue of your 
life to his service. Are these your resolutions 1 
and is such the character of your feelings and dis- 
positions 1 If so, you have reason to thank God 
for his goodness to you, in sanctifying this afflic- 
tion to your spiritual benefit. 



172 ADDRESSES. 

No. 6. 

MY Friend : The salvation offered you in the 
gospel is just what you stand in need of. You 
cannot save yourself, nor blot out your own sins, 
nor change your own heart, nor snatch yourself 
from the pit of woe, nor raise it to eternal life. But 
the gospel makes known to you a Savior, who has 
come to do all this. " Unto you is born a Savior." 
And how welcome should a Savior be to you ! 
"Were you in prison, how welcome would be lib- 
erty ! Were you in slavery, how welcome would 
be a deliverer ! But here is a Savior from a load 
of sin, and from the reign of iniquity, and from the 
remorse of conscience, and from the wrath of God, 
and from eternal punishment; a Savior, whose 
love flows, as it were, in streams of blood divine ; 
and who is ever ready to extend mercy to the pen- 
itent. To the pardoned soul he gives present peace, 
and the love of God, and the glories of eternity. 

The Savior is an almighty Savior. He is equal 
to the tasks he undertakes ; he came to conquer 
death and Satan ; to open heaven, and people it 
from earth ; and he will do what he has undertaken 
to perform. He gives promises that none but a 
God can give, and will fulfil every promise. On 
him millions have leaned, and no one has ever 
failed that trusted in him. There are no sins that 
he cannot blot out, no hearts so hard that he cannot 
soften, none so unworthy that he cannot welcome 
them, and none so weak that he cannot help them 
to heaven. Are not the tidings of such a Savior 
good tidings — tidings of great joy to you 1 

Were you told of an almighty Savior, but had 
cause to doubt his compassion and love, the tidings 
would not be so agreeable. But this Savior can 



ADDRESSES. 173 

have compassion, and is full of love. Go to the 
manger ; what laid him there but love ? Go to the 
garden of Gethsemane ; what caused him to en- 
dure its agonies and bloody sweat but love 1 Go 
to Calvary ; what made him bear his cross and die 
upon it but love *? Hearken to his promises : 
" Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy 
laden, and I will give you rest. Him that cometh 
unto me I will in no wise cast out. Verily, verily, 
I say unto you, He that heareth my word and be- 
lieveth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life 5 
and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed 
from death unto life." What speak these words but 
love ? Go to facts in his conduct. Behold the 
penitent woman, weeping at his feet. What is his 
language to her ? Go in peace ; thy sins are for- 
given thee 5 thy faith hath saved thee. Is not this 
the language of love ? See the widow of Canaan ; 
she entreats his aid for her afflicted daughter ; he 
seems to turn a deaf ear, but it is that her faith 
may shine more conspicuously, and at length he 
says, " woman, great is thy faith ; be it unto 
thee even as thou wilt." What spoke these words 
but love ? my friend, as there are no sins so 
vile that he cannot blot them out, so there are none 
so aggravated that he is unwilling to take their 
load away. As there are none so unworthy that 
he cannot help them, so there are none that he is 
unwilling to help. Whosoever cometh unto him 
shall not come in vain, provided he only come 
with the temper and disposition of the returning 
prodigal. 

Yes, my friend, if, with an humble and contrite 
heart, you seek pardoning grace, be assured, on all 
that is true and solemn in the gospel, that you will 
not seek in vain. No sins, however great, no guilt, 



174 MISCELLANEOUS. 

however aggravated, shall prevent the penitent's 
salvation. " He that cometh unto me," says he, 
" I will in no wise cast out." He is able to 
save to the uttermost all them that come unto God 
by him. 

All the blessings of salvation you may have freely 
and fully. All the, fitness required is to feel your need 
of him, and to be cordially willing to receive and 
serve him. You must come to him just as you are, 
with all your sins upon you. Imitate the conduct 
of the publican and the prodigal. Think of those 
charged with having crucified the Lord of glory, as 
recorded in the book of Acts. The same day which 
saw them broken-hearted penitents beheld them 
rejoicing disciples. This was the case also with 
the jailer. In these cases, there was no prepara- 
tion requisite ; but a feeling of guilt, and a will- 
ingness to embrace the Savior. And just so free, 
my friend, is salvation to you, and to be enjoyed 
in the same way ; by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ 
— a faith which humbly relies upon him, and in- 
cludes the surrender of soul and body to him. 
Head the 143d Hymn, " Jesus, Savior of my soul." 
Read the 130th Hymn, " Peace, troubled soul, 
whose," &c. 



3fiimllmttimi 



The following, on the first several pages, are inserted for the 
comfort and encouragement of those who are actively engaged 
in the works of charity and benevolence. 

BLESSED is the man that provideth for the poor 
and needy ; the Lord will deliver him in the 
time of trouble. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 175 

GOD is not unrighteous, that he will forget your 
work and labor, that proceedeth of love ; which 
love ye have shown for his name's sake, who have 
ministered to the saints, and yet do minister. 

THE poor shall never cease out of the land ; 
therefore I command thee, saith the Lord, Thou 
shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to 
the poor and to the needy of the land. Thou shalt 
not harden thine heart, nor shalt thou shut thine 
hand from thy poor brother : but thou shalt surely 
give unto him in the day of his need, because that 
for this the Lord will bless thee in all thy works. 

THERE is no school in which to learn the prac- 
tice of virtue with such facility as in the exer- 
cise of benevolence. Those who are most truly 
benevolent are making the swiftest advances in 
" that holiness without which no man shall see the 
Lord ; " and are rising in imitation of Him who 
went about doing good. Let us delight, then, to 
imitate his example. 

Scripture is full of the high rewards to be be- 
stowed on the good and benevolent ; assuring us 
that they who have done good shall enter into life 
everlasting ; not of merit, indeed, but of grace. And 
these rewards include peace and consolation of 
soul in the present life, the future vision of God, 
and the full enjoyment of holiness and perfect bliss. 
To all who have endeavored to be useful upon 
earth, he will say, " Well done, good and faithful 
servants ! enter into the joy of your Lord." the 
unspeakable blessedness of giving, in that day, 
when he will reward them all according to their 
works ! When the righteous will find that all their 
virtues have vegetated, and brought forth abundant 



176 MISCELLANEOUS. 

fruit, what joy and blessedness shall take posses- 
sion of their souls ! But they have performed 
these actions with reference to the glory of God, 
and with a desire to please him. " Eye hath not 
seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the 
heart of man, the things which God hath prepared 
for them who have thus loved him." 

IT is only by keeping the Savior's sufferings in 
view that the Christian can truly practise char- 
ity to others, or exercise self-denial to himself. 







UR opportunities to do good are our tal- 
ents. 



GIVE alms of thy goods, and never turn* thy 
face from any poor man ; and then the face of 
the Lord shall never be turned away from thee. 

IT is Christ's plan, that there should in every age 
and place be poor persons and poor Christians 
as his representatives, in order to make trial of the 
love and faith of his disciples, that whenever they 
will they may relieve them for his sake. 



G 



RACE, like the widow's oil, increases by being 
charitably imparted. 



WHAT we admire, and what we ought to admire, 
in man, is that collection of fine feelings 
which make a human creature social and useful. 
Sympathy and fellow-feeling, tenderness of heart 
and pity for the wretched, compassion for his 
neighbors, and reverence for his God ; the melting 
eye, the soothing, silvery tone, the benevolent ex- 
pression of countenance, the rapid actions of the 



MISCELLANEOUS. 177 

soul, — all penetrated with reason and religion, — 
these are the qualities that we admire in him. O, 
I love the man that must and will do good ; the 
sympathizing Christian, who eagerly embraces 
every opportunity to comfort and relieve his fel- 
low-creatures ; who hastens to the bed of sickness 
and pain ; imparts to his fellow-Christian, however 
humble and obscure his condition, the blessed con- 
solations of religion, smooths his dying pillow, 
and does what he can to relieve the burden of his 
grief. Peace and blessedness to such a one. He 
also must one day lie on the bed of sickness and 
death ; and then will the Lord strengthen and 
comfort him, and make all his bed in his sickness. 

Blest is the man whose softening heart 

Feels all another's pain ; 
To whom the supplicating eye 

Is never raised in vain ; — 

Whose breast responds with generous warmth 

A stranger's woe to feel ; 
Who weeps in pity o'er the wound 

He wants the power to heal. 

To gentle offices of love 

His feet are never slow ; 
He views, through mercy's melting eye, 

A brother, in a foe. 

To him protection shall be shown, 

And mercy from above 
Descend on those who thus fulfil 

The Christian law of love. 
12 



178 MISCELLANEOUS. 

A LL our works of piety and charity must spring 
A from love to God; gratitude to him for the 
blessings of redemption 5 unreserved surrender of 
ourselves to his service, and a disposition to de- 
light in doing his will, and ascribing to him all the 
power and glory. Such good works are " spiritual 
sacrifices," acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 
The Lord delights to honor those who thus honor 
him. He remembers and records their expressions 
of faith and love. In this world, he communes 
with them from his mercy seat, by answering their 
prayers and comforting their hearts ; and he will, at 
the day of judgment, publish to the assembled 
universe, distinctly and particularly, the fruits of 
holiness, which, by his grace, they produced on 
earth, as evincing them to be the heirs of " the 
kingdom prepared for his people from the founda- 
tion of the world." 

AT the day of judgment, it will be found that 
peculiar coronets have been prepared for emi- 
nent saints. 

THE Christian should value this life as an oppor- 
tunity of honoring God, both by living accord- 
ing to his will, and by doing as much good as pos- 
sible to his fellow-creatures, and "especially to 
those who are of the household of faith." 

" pHARGE them who are rich in this world, that 
VJ they be ready to give and glad to distribute, 
laying up in store for themselves a good founda- 
tion against the time to come, that they may attain 
eternal life." 

" Be merciful after thy power. If thou hast much, 
give plenteously ; if thou hast little, do thy dili- 



MISCELLANEOUS. 179 

gence gladly to give of that little ; for so gatherest 
thou for thyself a good reward in the day of ne- 
cessity. 

" He that soweth little shall reap little ; and he 
that soweth plenteously shall reap plenteously. 
God loveth a cheerful giver." 

" He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth to the 
Lord; and look, what he payeth out, it shall be 
paid him again." 

THE expense incurred in making the heart of the 
poor and destitute to rejoice, will be a source 
of heartfelt joy and satisfaction to the Christian ; 
so much so, that he will desire to be rich in good 
works ; ready to distribute, and willing to commu- 
nicate in whatever can glorify God, and do good to 
mankind. 

IN proportion as faith and love prevail, they will 
triumph over the selfishness of the heart, and 
dispose it to be generous and kind. 

" TNASMUCH as ye have done it unto one 

J- OP THE LEAST OE THESE, YE HAVE DONE 
IT UNTO 3IE." 

It is impossible that language can express great- 
er encouragement to self-denying, assiduous, la- 
borious, and expensive charity to poor Christians, 
for the sake of our common Lord, than that which 
is contained in the above declaration. 

As none but believers are the brethren of Christ, 
so love to Christ must be the motive of the liberality 
and kindness here spoken of. 

IF we would possess a good hope that Christ will 
address us as " the blessed of his Father," and 



180 MISCELLANEOUS. 

invite us to sit at his right hand, we must now 
recognize our Savior as disguised under the mean 
attire of his beloved disciples and brethren upon 
earth. When we see a believer hungry, thirsty, a 
stranger, or in want of proper clothing, we should 
imagine that our Savior himself stands before us ; 
requires us to own our relation to him, and calls 
upon us to give him food, or raiment, or to provide 
him a lodging ; we should ask ourselves whether 
we can feel in our hearts to drive him from our 
door. And when we hear of pious persons being 
sick, or in pi-ison, and wanting advice, attendance, 
or other relief, we should suppose that Jesus was 
in these circumstances, and sends to us by name to 
come and minister to him. Let us, then, renounce 
our own ease, interest, convenience, and indulgence, 
and abound in this work of faith and labor of love ; 
and should we ever be mistaken in the character 
of those for whom we thus deny ourselves, from 
love to Christ, he will certainly accept and recom- 
pense our services. Those actions which the be- 
liever thought nothing of at the time, and soon en- 
tirely forgot, as well as those which were concealed 
from men, will all be brought to light, and gra- 
ciously recompensed; not a crust of bread, or a 
cup of water, given for his sake to a poor brother, 
will pass unnoticed. 

TO THE DYING SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER. 

ORIGINAL. 

"pAITHFUL, loving, patient teacher, 

Glorious death is thine to die ; 
Hear the voice of thy dear Savior, 
Speaking from his throne on high : — 



MISCELLANEOUS. 181 

" Weeping round thy bed there standing, 

Children coming unto me ; 
Thou shall have them for thy jewels, 

To my kingdom led by thee." 

All thy pleasant labors ended, 

Blessed now forevermore, 
And thy works of love will follow — 

Some have, praising, gone before. 
Angels o'er thy bed are calling, 

Hence to bear thy spirit home — 
" Come, thou blessed of our Father, 

To his glorious mansions come." 

Dost remember little Mary, 

Taught by thee to lisp her prayer, 
Taught her Savior's precepts holy 1 

She is praising, shouting there, — 
" I am happy, blessed teacher, 

Hail the truths thou'st taught to me ! 
Emma, Willie, — all are shining 

Here, and praising God and thee." 

" 0, the grave, — the gate of glory ! 

Fear it not, — we'll meet thee there ; 
Shouting, singing hallelujahs, 

Angels will thy spirit bear." 
Called by Jesus, saints, and angels, 

Happy soul, in triumph go — 
Those behind thou leavest weeping, 

Follow, — praising here below. 



182 MISCELLANEOUS. 



CHARITY. 

IN the hour of keenest sorrow, 
In the hour of deepest woe, 
Wait not for the coming morrow ; 

To the sad and suffering go. 
Make it thy sincerest pleasure 

To administer relief; 
Freely opening thy treasure, 
To assuage a brother's grief. 

Go and seek the orphan, sighing ; 

Seek the widow in her tears ; 
As on mercy's pinion flying, 

Go dispel their darkest fears. 
Seek the stranger, sad and weary, 

Pass not on the other side ; 
Though the task be lone and dreary, 

Heed thou not the scorn of pride. 

Go, with manners unassuming, 

In a meek and quiet way ; 
O'er the fallen ne'er presuming, 

Though thy brother sadly stray. 
'Tis a Savior's kind compassion. 

'Tis his righteousness alone, 
All unmerited salvation, 

That around thy path has shone. 

When thy heart is warmly glowing 
With the sacred love of prayer ; 



MISCELLANEOUS. 183 

By thy works of kindness flowing, 

Not as with a miser's care, 
Duty e'er should be thy watchword, 

Pity drop the soothing tear ; 
Always towards the fallen cherish 

Sympathy and love sincere. 



AFFLICTIONS are God's most effectual means 
to keep us from losing our way to our heavenly 
rest. Without this hedge of thorns on the right 
hand and on the left, we should scarcely keep in 
the way to heaven. If there be but one gap open, 
how ready are we to find it, and turn out of it ! 
When we grow vain and worldly, how doth sick- 
ness and other affliction reduce us ! Every Chris- 
tian, as well as Luther, may call affliction one of 
his best schoolmasters, and with David say, " Be- 
fore I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I 
kept thy word." Many thousand recovered sinners 
may cry, " 0, healthful sickness ! 0, comfortable 
sorrows ! O, painful losses ! 0, enriching poverty ! 
O, blessed day that ever I was afflicted ! " Not 
only the green pastures, but the rod and the staff, 
they comfort us. Though the rod and the staff do 
the main work, yet suffering so unbolts the door 
of the heart, the word has easier entrance. 

Read the 161st Hymn, "Lord, unaffiicted, un- 
dismayed." 



184 MISCELLANEOUS 



DESIGN OF AFFLICTIONS. 

1 IT1HEY are marks of God's love. 

1 God doth not willingly afflict, &c. "Whom 
the Lord loveth, he correcteth. As many as I love, 
I rebuke and chasten. Like as a father pitieth 
his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear 
him. 

2 They are trials of faith and obedience. 

Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O 
Lord, and teachest him out of thy law. Before 
I was afflicted I went astray, but now do I keep 
thy law. It is good for me that I was afflicted, 
that I might learn thy statutes. I know, Lord, 
that thy judgments are right, and that thou in 
very faithfulness hast afflicted me. 

He led them through the great and terrible 
wilderness, that he might prove them. 

Tribulation worketh patience. 

He chasteneth us, that the trial of our faith, 
being much more precious than gold, though it 
be tried with fire, might be found unto praise, 
and glory, and honor at the appearing of Jesus 
Christ. 

3 They are designed to make us partakers of God's 
holiness, and to make us more fruitful. 

He chasteneth us for our profit, that we may 
be partakers of his holiness. I am the true vine, 
and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch 
that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring 
forth more fruit. Behold, I have refined thee ; 
but not with silver. I have chosen thee in the 
furnace of affliction. 

4 They are designed to conform us to Christ, and 
to fit us for the rewards hereafter. 

" If we be dead with him, we shall also live with 



MISCELLANEOUS. 185 

him , if we suffer with him, we shall also reign 
with him." " If children, then heirs, heirs of God 
and joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we suf- 
fer with him, that we may also be glorified to- 
gether. For I reckon that the sufferings of the 
present time are not worthy to be compared with 
the glory which shall be revealed hereafter." 
For our light afflictions, which are but for a mo- 
ment, work out for us a far more exceeding and 
eternal weight of glory. 

Blessed is the man that enduretk temptation ; 
for when he is tried, he shall receive a crown of 
life. 

We must, through much tribulation, enter into 
the kingdom of God. 

Those now before the throne of God "have 
come out of great tribulation." 

ON THE DUTIES OF THE AFFLICTED. 

1 A TTENTION and consideration. 
■ft- " In the day of adversity consider.'" 

Thus saith the Lord, " Consider your ways." 
" Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it!" 

Happy is the man whom God correcteth ; 
therefore despise not thou the chastening of the 
Almighty; neither be weary of his correction, 
nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. Re- 
ceive the law from his mouth, and lay up his 
words in thy heart. 
2. Confession of sin. Only acknowledge thine in- 
iquity, that thou hast transgressed against the 
Lord thy God. 

So did David — " I have sinned greatly." 

So did Jeremiah — " We have transgressed and 
rebelled," &c. 



!86 MISCELLANEOUS. 

So did Daniel — " We have sinned and com- 
mitted iniquity," &c. , 

3 Kepentance. " Israel, return unto the Lord 
thy God, for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.' 

" Eeturn, ye backsliding children, and I will 
heal your backslidings." 

" Eeturn ye now every one from his evil ways, 
and make your ways and your doings good." 

" Turn ye unto me with all your hearts ; with 
fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." 

4 Prayer. " Call upon me in the day of trouble, 
and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify 
me." 

" Is any among you afflicted, let him pray. 

EXAMPLES OF PRATER UNDER AFFLICTION. 

1 TiAVID. " In my distress, I called upon the 
±J Lord, and cried unto my God." 

2 Hezekiah. " He turned his face to the wall, and 
prayed to the Lord." 

3 Manasseh. " He humbled himself greatly before 
the God of his fathers, and prayed unto him, and 
he was entreated of him, and heard his suppli- 
cations." 

4 Daniel. " I set my face unto the Lord God, to 
seek by prayer and supplication ; with fasting, 
and sackcloth, and ashes ; and I prayed unto the 
Lord my God, and made my confession." 

5 Paul. " For this thing [the thorn in the flesh] 
I besought the Lord thrice." 

6 Lastly, and above all, the example of our Savior, 
who, when his soul was exceeding sorrowful even 
unto death, " offered up prayers and supplica- 
tions, with strong crying and tears, unto Him who 
was able to save him from death, and was heard 
in that he feared." 



MISCELLANEOUS. 187 



DUTY OF PATIENCE. 



u "DEST in the Lord, and wait patiently for him." 
JA* . . . " Knowing this, that the trial of your 
faith worketh patience" 

" And let patience have her perfect work ; that 
ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." 

" In your patience, possess ye your souls." . . . 
" Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continu- 
ing instant in prayer." 

" Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have 
spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example 
of suffering, affliction, and patience." ... "Ye 
have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen 
the end of the Lord, that he is very pitiful and of 
tender mercy." 

" Strengthened with all might, according to his 
glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering 
with joyfulness." 

" We glory in you for your patience and faith ; 
in all your persecutions and tribulations, that ye 
endure." 



DUTY OF RESIGNATION. 

M TfiTE have had fathers of the flesh who corrected 
*V us ; shall we not be in subjection to the Fa- 
ther of our spirits, and live ? " 

" Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of 
God. . . . Casting all your care upon him, for 
he careth for you. Cast thy burden on the Lord, 
and he will sustain thee. He will never suffer the 
righteous to be moved. Commit thy way unto the 
Lord, and trust also in him, and he shall bring it to 



188 MISCELLANEOUS. 



EXAMPLES OP RESIGNATION. 

1 JOB. " Shall we receive good at the hand of 
u the Lord, and shall we not receive evil ? The 
Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; 
blessed be the name of the Lord." 

2 Aaron. " And Aaron held his peace." 

3 Eli. " Let him do what seemeth him good." 

4 David. " Behold, here I am ; let him do to me 
as seemeth good to him." 

5 " Our Lord. Thy will be done." 



" TT7HY art thou cast down, O my soul ? Hope 

» » thou in God." 

" Our fathers hoped in thee ; they trusted in thee, 
and thou didst deliver them." 

" The Lord is my portion, saith my soul ; there- 
fore will I hope in him." 

RELIANCE ON THE DIVINE PROMISES FOR 
SUPPORT. 

" T)E not afraid ; only believe." 

-D " They that know thy name will put their 
trust in thee ; for thou, Lord, hast never forsaken 
them that seek thee. The righteous cry, and the 
Lord heareth and delivereth them. Many are the 
afflictions of the righteous ; but th3 Lord delivereth 
them out of all. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, 
and he will sustain thee. He will never suffer the 
righteous to be moved. For the Lord will not cast 
off forever ; but, though he cause grief, yet will he 
have compassion according to the multitude of his 



MISCELLANEOUS. 189 

tender mercies. There hath no temptation hap- 
pened to you, but such as is common to man ; for 
God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempt- 
ed above that ye are able ; but will, with the temp- 
tation, make a way to escape, that ye may be able 
to bear it. His grace is sufficient for you, and his 
strength is made perfect in weakness." 



EXAMPLES OF FIRM RELIANCE ON GOD IN 
AFFLICTIONS. 

1 JOB. " Though he slay me, yet will I trust 
V in him." 

" I know that my Redeemer liveth ; and 
that," &c. 

2 David. " The Lord is my light and my salva- 
tion ; whom shall I fear 1 The Lord is the 
strength of my life ; of whom shall I be afraid ? 
Though a host should encamp against me, my 
heart shall not fear ; for in the time of trouble 
he shall hide me in his pavilion ; in the secret 
of his tabernacle he shall hide me ; he shall set 
me upon a rock." 

" What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. 
In God I have put my trust. I will not fear what 
man can do unto me. My soul, wait thou only 
upon God, for my expectation is from him. He 
only is my rock and my salvation ; I shall not 
be moved. The rock of my strength and of my 
refuge is in God." 

" Thou art my hiding-place ; thou shalt pre- 
serve me from trouble ; thou shalt compass me 
about with songs of deliverance." 

"My flesh and my heart faileth ; but God is 
the strength of my heart, and my portion for- 



190 MISCELLANEOUS. 

ever. Thou art my hiding-place and my shield. 
I hope in thy word." 

" Yea, though I walk through the valley of the 
shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art 
with me ; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort 
me. God will redeem my soul from the power 
of the grave ; for he shall receive me." 

3 The woman of Canaan. Jesus said, " O woman, 
great is thy faith ; be it unto thee as thou wilt." 

4 Bartimeus. Jesus saith unto him, " Go thy 
way ; thy faith hath made thee whole." 

Also, the following examples of faith under 
affliction : — 

The leper. 

The centurion. 

The penitent Magdalen. 

Habakkuk. " Although the fig tree shall not 
blossom, nor fruit be in the vine, &c, . . . still 
will I trust in thee." 



INFLUENCE OP RELIGION. 

RELIGION alone it is that can impart solid 
comfort under all circumstances of life. It is 
this that can make all our bed in sickness, can be 
our guide in health, our comfort in sorrow, our 
hope in death. 

" Jesus can make a dying bed 

Feel soft as downy pillows are ; 
While on his breast I lean my head, 
And breathe my life out sweetly there." 

In the hour of pain and affliction, medicine and 
art can often, under God's blessing, do much ; but 
the consolations of religion, and the holy and peace- 



MISCELLANEOUS. 191 

ful satisfaction arising from a well-spent life, can 
do more, by administering a cordial infinitely more 
lasting and efficacious than all other human means. 
Religion sheds a cheerful light even around the 
most distressing scenes of pain and suffering, which 
powerfully soothes and tranquillizes the feelings, 
and thus conduces much to recovery ; " for a cheer- 
ful heart doeth good, like medicine." 

" Sir," said the excellent Rev. Mr. Venn to 
Abm. Milwood, who was sadly afflicted with pov- 
erty and disease, " I have brought my children here 
to-day, to show them that it is possible to be happy 
in a state of disease, poverty, and want ; and now 
tell them if it is so." The dying youth, with a 
sweet smile of benevolence and piety, replied, " O 
yes, sir. I would not change my state with that of 
the richest person upon earth, who was destitute of 
these views which I possess. Blessed be God ! I 
have a good hope, through Christ, of being admit- 
ted into those blessed regions where Lazarus now 
dwells, having long forgotten all his sorrows and 
miseries." 

One more instance. Said the accomplished 
daughter of a distinguished nobleman, " I expe- 
rience a pleasure in reading the Bible which I 
have never felt before. And when I compare the 
calm and peace, which the smallest grain of faith 
gives to the soul, with all that the world alone can 
give of joy and happiness, I feel that the least in 
the kingdom of heaven is a hundred times more 
blessed than the greatest and most elevated of the 
men of the world." This was the language of a 
young lady, residing at the very centre of all that 
dazzles the mind, in the gayest city of Europe ; 
whom the world, in its most alluring forms, was 
perpetually assailing, and seeking to captivate. 



192 MISCELLANEOUS. 



DESIGN OF GOD IN AFFLICTING HIS PEOPLE. 

AS the mason, by sharp and repeated strokes of 
the hammer, heweth the hard stones, and strik- 
eth off here one piece, and there another, till they 
be fitted for the place where he will lay them in the 
earthly temple, even so doth our almighty Builder 
hew and polish us, by repeated strokes of affliction, 
from all manner of inequalities and blemishes, who 
are his costly and precious stones, that we may be 
smoothed and beautified for the place he shall as- 
sign us in his heavenly temple. 

" I am deeply conscious," said the late Kobert 
Hall, whose bodily sufferings were long and severe, 
" that I have been corrected less, yea, infinitely less, 
than my iniquities deserve. I hope I am more 
anxious to see my heavy afflictions sanctified than 
removed. I presume that the Lord sees that I re- 
quire more hammering and hewing than almost 
any other stone that was ever selected for his spirit- 
ual building, and that is the reason of his thus deal- 
ing with me." 

TRIALS NECESSARY. 

A CHRISTIAN, for the sweet fruit he bears to 
God and man, is compared to the vine. Now, 
as the most generous vine, if it be not pruned, runs 
out into many superfluous stems, and grows at last 
weak and fruitless, so doth the best man, if he be 
not cut short of his desires, and pruned with afflic- 
tions. If it be painful to bleed, it is worse to with- 
er. Let me be pruned that I may grow, rather than 
cut down to burn. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 193 

AFFLICTIONS are usually allotted to those 
saints who have been extensively useful ; and 
this, among other reasons, because the infirmity of 
their nature is such, that success for the most part 
is not good for them ; and, therefore, to restrain 
pride and self-complacency, and to promote the 
growth of inward holiness, God sees fit to visit his 
servants with repeated trials, that none may glory 
in his sight ; but that they may be kept lowly and 
humble, and their graces be preserved and aug- 
mented. The most eminent saints have been visit- 
ed with the most eminent trials. 

" The good are better made by ill, 
As odors crushed are sweeter still.'' 



THE Christian cannot expect uninterrupted peace 
in this world. Trials are needful to keep him 
humble ; and difficulties form the proper exercise 
and discovery of his faith, love, patience, and hope 
in God. The honor of God, the edification of 
others, the good of his own soul, all require that 
in this world he should have tribulation. 

WE must be like God in purity before we can be 
in felicity. 
The Christian's whole life should be a visible 
representation of Christ. 

The only way to have spiritual enjoyment, is to 
be faithful and obedient to God. 



EFFICACY OF PRATER. 

THE effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man 
availeth much ; consequently the prayers of pious 
13 



194 MISCELLANEOUS* 

persons must be exceedingly useful and advan- 
tageous. 

Few, says Baxter, that are acquainted with the 
grace of God, are unacquainted with the efficacy 
of prayer. Says he, " How many times have I 
known the prayers of faith to save the sick, when 
all physicians have given them up for dead ! It 
has been my own case more than ten times, when 
means have all failed ; yet have I been relieved by 
the prevalency of fervent prayer." 

HOW many days of health and prosperity do 
many have, and how few of sorrow and afflic- 
tion, in comparison! Bishop Hall mentions an 
excellent Christian, who, being afflicted with a 
most painful malady, in the midst of his torments 
exclaimed, " my God, how gracious hast thou 
been to me ! Thou hast given me eighty-four 
years of health, and now but two years of pain. 
Blessed be thy name for thy mercy in forbearing 
with me, and for thy justice in afflicting me. " 

IT is a striking fact, that the most eminent Chris- 
tians, whose lives have been marked by signal 
usefulness, have also been marked by signal trials. 
And these are necessary to keep them humble, and 
also to make them still more useful and fruitful. 
" Every branch," &c. (St. John xv.) 

DEATH is a conquered enemy ; he cannot hurt 
you if he find you clothed in Christ's right- 
eousness. 

NOTHING tends so much to divest death of its 
terrors, and the grave of its gloom, as to fa- 
miliarize the mind with them: so that he who 



MISCELLANEOUS. 195 

strives the most to shun the King of Terrors is 
sure to see the most of his countenance. 

ALL HEAVENLY HEARTS ARE CHARITABLE. 
Enlightened souls disperse their vivifying and 
cheering rays. 

DUTY OP CHRISTIANS. 

CHRISTIANS are required to live not only to 
Christ, but to live like him. We are called to 
be his visible representatives : every Christian is a 
sort of Christ, resembling him ; going about doing 
good, strengthening the weak, comforting the 
afflicted, relieving the needy, bearing testimony 
meekly and mildly against evil, and doing good in 
every possible way. How happy would the world 
be, if all the professed followers of Christ lived 
after his example ! Let all Christians then set 
about this work immediately ; and this with more 
prayer, and therefore with more success. 



OBJECTS OF CHRISTIAN HOPE. 

THE perfect and everlasting happiness of heaven 
is the object of a righteous man's hope in death. 

He hopes to drop all his sins and their attendant 
train of sorrows behind him, and to be perfectly 
holy and happy forever. 

He hopes to see his God and Savior, and to 
spend an eternity in society with him, and in his 
service. 

He hopes to join the company of angels, and of 
his fellow-saints of the human race. 

He hopes to improve in knowledge, and capacity 
for action and enjoyment, in an endless gradation. 



196 MISCELLANEOUS. 

He hopes to see the face of God in righteous- 
ness, and to be satisfied when he awakes with his 
likeness. 

In short, he hopes to be unspeakably happy in 
an endless duration. 

What a glorious hope is this ! This has made 
many a saint welcome death with open arms. This 
has made them " desirous of being with Christ, 
which is far better." And this has sweetly swal- 
lowed up the sensation of bodily pain. Indeed, 
without this, immortality would be an object of 
terror, and not of hope ; the prospect would be 
insupportably dreadful. For who can bear the 
thought of an immortal duration spent in banish? 
ment from God and all happiness, and in the, suf- 
fering of pain ! But a happy immortality ! what 
can charm us more 1 

Read the 187th Hymn, " I would not live alway ; 
I ask not to stay." 

THE DYING CHRISTIAN. 

COME, my friends, enter into the chamber of the 
dying saint in the lively exercise of divine faith, 
and with the bright prospect of immortality full in. 
his view. Observe the smile that sits upon his 
countenance ; view his patience, his resignation, 
his peaceful serenity ; hear the holy and heavenly 
language that drops from his lips : " I go the way 
of all the earth, and I long to be gone, to be where 
my Savior is. I have trusted in him for salvation j 
I have committed my everlasting all into his hands ; 
I know in whom I have believed. O the heavenly 
peace and joy that I now find in God's sure and 
well-ordered covenant ! It has been my support 
through life under many painful trials and over* 
whelming sorrows. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 197 

"And now, when drawing near to the eternal 
world, and about to bid adieu to all things here 
below, it is the spring of joy unspeakable and full 
of glory ! With my Shepherd's rod and staff to 
support me, I can walk fearless and undismayed 
through the valley of the shadow of death ; '"for 
this God is my God forever and ever, and he will 
be my guide unto death.' I have no righteousness 
of my own to plead at God's tribunal; but I thank 
God, who has given me faith to rely on the all- 
atoning efficacy of my Redeemer's blood, and the 
infinite merit of his perfect righteousness 5 so that 
now, through faith in his name, I can triumph and 
say, ' O death, where is thy sting 1 grave, where 
is thy victory ? The sting of death is sin, and the 
strength of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, 
who giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus 
Christ.' " 

Read the 124th Hymn, "Hear what the voice 
from heaven declares." 



O DEATH, WHERE IS THY STING % 

THE power of death, the last enemy, is destroyed, 
as it respects all who believe in Christ. Instead 
of being the jailer of hell and of the grave, he is 
now, as respects Christ's people, the porter of para- 
dise. All he can now do is to cause them to sleep 
in Jesus, release their immortal spirits from the 
fetters which bind them to earth, and deposit their 
weary bodies in the tomb as a place of rest, till 
Christ comes at the last day to raise them incor- 
ruptible, glorious, and immortal, and reunite them 
to their souls in a state of perfect and never-ending 
felicity. 



19$ MISCELLANEOUS. 



THE CHRISTIAN S DEATH BED. 

I'M dying ! — this frail world will soon 
Be nothing more to me, 
And all I love so fondly now 
These eyes will cease to see. 

0, had I made my resting-place, 

My hope and anchor, here, 
What would my guilty feelings he, — 

What — but despair and fear ! 

But in no vain and careless hope 

I trusted, Lord, to thee ; 
And now my Savior bids me come 

To heaven, redeemed and free. 

Christ is my stay, — I cannot fear 

To yield my fading breath ; 
That lamp will never fail to light 

The shadowed vale of death. 



WHY SHOULD I PEAR TO DIE ? 

"WHY should I fear to die — why shrink 

From that fast coming time ? 
Though guilty, yet I humbly dare 
Trust in the Lord divine. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 199 

His promises can never fail ; 

His death the atonement gives, 
And through his cleansing blood and name 

The trembling sinner lives. 

Then why fear death — death that will bring 

The Savior still more near ? 
I may not doubt — my " God is Love," 

And love can conquer fear. 

SINNERS INVITED TO CHRIST. 

THE Lord never heard any that accounted them- 
selves worthy. All that ever had access and 
audience with God have been really, and in their 
own esteem, unworthy. The Lord requires not that 
his people should bring any worth with them, to 
commend their prayers to him. The want of 
personal worth did never hinder the Lord from 
answering prayers ; therefore there is no reason to 
be discouraged for want of that which is neither 
necessary nor ever was present. No flesh is jus- 
tified in his sight. 

The more a person is sensible of his unworthi- 
ness, the more hope has he of answer and accept- 
ance. This is so far from being an impediment to 
faith, that it should encourage it ; for Scripture and 
experience tell us, it is both the Lord's gracious 
disposition and practice to do most for those who 
are, or who seem to themselves, to be most un- 
worthy. He pronounces those blessed who are 
poor in spirit. He seeks that which is lost. He 
calls not the righteous, but sinners, to repentance — 
those deeply sensible of their sinfulness. He in- 



200 MISCELLANEOUS. 

vites beggars, sends out his servants to fetch them 
in — those who have no money and no worth. He 
pities those whom no eye pities, and condescends 
lowest to those who are lowest. Hereby is the 
freeness and the richness of grace made more con- 
spicuous ; infinite mercy appears more merciful. 

Let not the doubting, desponding sinner then 
keep away from Christ, under an apprehension that 
he himself can make satisfaction for his soul, or 
that he can cleanse himself by any means from his 
iniquities ; for he can never have redemption but 
through his blood ; nor can he ever subdue his lusts 
but through his all-sufficient grace ; neither must 
he think that he can do some meritorious service 
as the price of his favor. 0, no. He must come 
to him just as he is, with all his sins upon him, and 
not stop to heal himself imperfectly. Christ is 
willing to bestow upon him all the blessings of 
salvation freely, "without money and without 
price." But then he must come in faith, believing 
that he is able to save to the uttermost all that 
come unto God by him ; believing that he is as 
willing as he is able. He must come, too, in love ; 
not like a person driven by necessity, but from a 
feeling of affection for one who laid down his life 
that a ruined world might be saved. Thus coming 
to Christ, he will be graciously received by him ; 
the burden of his sins will be removed ; peace 
solid and substantial, will take possession of his' 
soul ; and he will have imparted to him not only 
happiness here, but a firm and stable hope of never- 
ending glory and felicity hereafter. 

" Yes, whosoever will, 

0, let him freely come, 
And freely take the stream of life : 
'Tis Jesus bids him come." (131st Hymn.) 



MISCELLANEOUS. 201 



WHEN OF THE WORLD GROWN TIRED. 

TyHEN of the world grown tired, 
When age and sickness come, 
When hopes we fondly cherished 
Are faded 'neath the tomb, — 

Then to our God we offer 
The worthless heart in truth, 

Refusing him the beauty — 
The spring time of our youth. 

And does he then reject us 1 

Can Jesus then receive 
The heart that should be given 

Ere youth and freshness leave 1 

Yes, still he smiles forgiveness, 

The guilty soul will hear, 
And e'en gives joy in heaven, 

O'er the repentant's tear. 

O, much neglected Savior, 
Who would not fly to thee, — 

Thy mercy never ending, 
Thy pardon ever free ! 

A lifetime could not offer 
One half the praise I owe ; 



202 MISCELLANEOUS. 

And sin and sorrow mingle 
With even praise below. 

My God ! despised, insulted, 

Neglected oft by me, 
Thy holy word rejected, 

How dare I come to thee ? 

Still, still the invitation — 
The sinner's call I view — 

The cross, the darkened mountain, 
All prove my pardon true. 

"When one came lowly weeping* 
With sorrow seldom felt, 

When fervent love was filling 
Her bosom as she knelt, — 

Her sins, which were so many, 
By Jesus were forgiven, 

And not one word reproaching, 
The pardon sealed from heaven. 

To whom much is forgiven, 
How much that soul must love, 

Who sees by faith the mansion 
Prepared by God above ! 

* St. Luke vii. 38. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 

To whom much is forgiven — 
Then how should love to thee 

Be shown by one as guilty, 
As lost — yet saved — like me ! 

Here sin with praise will mingle ; 

Yet, Savior, hear my prayer ; 
O, tune my voice for heaven, 

To praise thee holiest there. 



203 



BENEFIT OP AFFLICTIONS. 

WE have the most satisfactory and repeated 
proofs that it is in the school of affliction where 
our heavenly Father prepares his distinguished 
saints to become pillars of glory in his heavenly 
kingdom. The more the waters of adversity are 
made to pass over them, and the more they are 
tried in the furnace of affliction, the more is the 
dross and corruption of their fallen nature re- 
moved ; and the fitter they are for the society of 
those pure and spotless spirits above, for which 
their heavenly Father is training them. The pure 
metal cannot be separated from the dross and im- 
purities with which it is connected without going 
through the refiners furnace ; nor can the human 
soul be purified from its inward corruption and 
depravity without passing through the crucible of 
affliction. 

The refiner, when he throws his precious metal 
in the furnace, does not mean to destroy and con- 
sume it, but only to separate and remove the baser 
metal, so that it may be fit for his own use, and 
capable of reflecting his image. Thus does a 



204 MISCELLANEOUS. 

gracious Father deal with us, when he applies the 
transmuting power of affliction to remove from us 
all the dross of worldliness, and all the impurities 
of our corrupt nature, that we may be fitted for 
vessels of honor, capable of reflecting his own 
image. And O, it is a delightful thought that the 
eye of a tender-hearted God, during the whole of 
the painful process, is steadily fixed on every part 
and stage of the work ; looking earnestly, like the 
refiner of silver, now on the furnace to see that its 
heat is not too intense, then on the precious ore, 
that it remain not too long under its operation. 
Yes, he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. 
(See page 205.) All this is necessary, or God, who 
is making all to work together for good to them 
who love him, would not permit it to happen. For 
it is only " if need be," that they are in heavi- 
ness through manifold temptations. All this was 
known to Job, who said, "He knoweth the way 
that I take, and when he hath tried me, I shall 
come forth like gold" 

ANECDOTE RELATED BY MB. WHITEFIELD. 

" I remember," says Mr. W., " some years ago, 
when in a glasshouse, I saw several masses of 
burning glass of various forms. The worker took 
a piece of glass and put it into one furnace, and 
then put it into a second, and then into a third. I 
said to him, ' Why do you put this through so many 
fires 1 ' He replied, ' sir, the first was not hot 
enough, nor the second, and therefore we put it in 
the third, and that will make it transparent? " 

This furnished him with a useful hint, that we 
must be tried and exercised with many fires until 
our dross be purged away, and we are made fit for 
the Owner's use. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 205 



ANOTHER, IN RELATION TO THE PURIFYING OF 
SILVER. 

SOME time ago, a few ladies were reading the 
third chapter of Malachi, in which reference is 
made to the refiner of silver, and to tho fuller's 
soap. 

One of them thought that the fuller's soap and 
the refiner of silver were only the same image, 
intended to convey the same view of the sanctify- 
ing influences of the Holy Spirit. " No," said 
another, " they are not the same image ; there is 
something remarkable in the expression in the third 
verse, <; He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of sil- 
ver." Desirous of ascertaining the fact of the case, 
one of the party went to a silversmith, and request- 
ed to know the process of refining silver. This he 
fully described to her. " But do you sit, sir 1 " " O, 
yes, madam, I must sit with my eye steadily fixed 
on the furnace ; since, if the silver remains too 
long, it is sure to be injured." She at once saw 
the beauty, and the comfort too, of the expression, 
"He shall sit as a refiner," &c, &-c. Christ sees it 
needful to put his children in the furnace : but he 
is seated by the side of it. His eye is steadily in- 
tent on the work of purifying ; and his wisdom 
and his love are both engaged to do all in the best 
manner for them. TLeir trials do not come at 
random; the very hairs of their head are all 
numbered. 

As the lady was retiring, the smith called to her 
and said, that he had forgotten to mention one 
thing ; and that was, that he only knew that the pro- 
cess of purifying was complete, by " seeing his own 
image in the silver." And so, when Christ sees his 



206 MISCELLANEOUS. 

own image in the hearts of his people, his wort 
of purifying is accomplished. 



submission. 

I WOULD not ask a thornless life, 
From every sorrow free ; 
Did God, in his kind providence, 
Permit it so to be. 

For as the verdure of the earth 

Would wither and decay, 
Beneath the dazzling gloriousness 

Of a perpetual day, — 

So the green places of the heart, 

In life's progressive years, 
Would cease to yield the buds of hope, 

If watered not by tears. 

I ask a firm and steadfast mind, 

My duties to fulfil ; 
A cheerful and obedient heart, 

To do my Master's will ; — 

An humble and enduring faith, 

To lift my soul above ; 
And in each chastening grief to see 

A Father's tender love : — 



MISCELLANEOUS. 207 

A heaven-born strength to follow on 

The path the Savior trod ; 
Through him to win the meed of grace, 

And endless joy with God. 

USE OF AFFLICTION. 

SO fixed is the natural heart with its affections on 
the present scenes, that perhaps it would never 
look beyond them, but for the appointed means 
sent by God for our eternal good. And what are 
these means 1 They are such as trials, afflictions, 
bereavements, which break our connection with, 
and destroy our love for, this insnaring world. 
Their direct object is to draw our affections from 
the transient scenes around us, and to fix them 
on Him who is the " Rock of Ages," who is " one 
in ten thousand, and altogether lovely." They are 
designed to conduct us to Him who is our only 
comfort in the season of sorrow, which must sooner 
or later press upon every human soul. They are 
intended to bring us to the fountain of life, where 
we may drink and live forever. 

O, how thankful ought we to be when a faithful 
God draws us to himself by a timely and merciful 
correction, as an earthly parent a beloved child ! 
showing us that we must lean on his paternal arm 
for safety and protection amid the seductions and 
fascinations of the world, which are ever like a pow- 
erful magnet, exercising their attractive agency 
over us and bringing us into dangerous and fatal 
contact with them. 

When we have been hewing out for ourselves 
cisterns that can hold nothing but poisonous 
draughts of worldly felicity, is it not an angel 



208 MISCELLANEOUS. 

of mercy, which so often dashes the cup from our 
trembling hand, when in the very act of raising it 
to our lips, and before the poison should fasten 
upon the soul the pangs and anguish of perdition ? 
Surely we shall never have reason to weep over 
the broken fragments which lie scattered beneath 
our feet, when we know that eternal death was con- 
cealed therein. 

A time will shortly come when we shall ac- 
knowledge, with gratitude, that afflictions, troubles, 
and the like, have indeed been our highest, choicest 
blessings, when we shall have reason to say, — 

" For all I bless thee ; most, for the severe." 

Afflicted believer, be comforted. "Weeping may 
endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. 
Think not of your light afflictions, which endure 
but for a moment, but of your exceeding weight 
of promised glory. Your heart may be panting 
and sighing for deliverance, as the hart panteth for 
the water brooks ; but remember, you have a river 
of water of life at hand, and that soon, very soon, 
you shall be led unto living fountains of water, 
and God shall wipe away all tears from your eyes. 

Soon shall time pass into eternity ! Soon shall 
mortality be swallowed up of life ! when your labor 
shall be exchanged for that rest which remaineth 
for the people of God ! when your sorrow shall be 
exchanged for a fulness of joy at God's right hand 
forevermore ! A few more struggles, and all toil 
will be over. A few more setting suns, and your 
eyes shall behold that angelic convoy, prepared to 
bear you, with holy transport and seraphic song, on 
their golden pinions, to the glorious mansions of 
eternal day. And then you will be ready to 
say,— 



MISCELLANEOUS. 209 

Lend, lend your wings ; I mount, I flv. 
O death, where is thy sting ! 
O grave, where is thy victory ? 

CONSOLATIONS OF RELIGION. 

TRUE piety is pleasant, for it is the source of 
pleasure even in the midst of pain. Man is 
born to sorrow as the sparks fly upward; and 
though many young persons seem to suppose that 
that which has been a storm to others shall be a 
calm to them, yet experience soon removes the 
delusion. No situation on earth can give perfect 
peace. Even the most peaceful and happy dwell- 
ings, where love and harmony ever abide, cannot 
supply that blessing, for into them pain has its 
avenue, and death its entrance; death, that dis- 
solves its fondest ties, and takes away the life that 
is dearer than our own. But no affliction can be- 
fall the true Christian, under which his Redeemer 
will not give him suitable support and consolation. 
A gentleman was invited to visit an indigent man, 
deeply afflicted, and gave the following account of 
what he saw : " On entering his house, I found 
him alone, his wife having gone out. I was star- 
tled at the sight of a pale, emaciated man ; a living 
image of death, fastened upright in a chair by a 
rude mechanism of cords and belts hanging from 
the ceiling. He was totally unable to move either 
hand or foot, having more than Jour years been en- 
tirely deprived of the use of his limbs, and the 
whole time suffering extreme anguish from swell- 
ings of all his joints. I asked, ' Are you left alone, 
my friend, in this deplorable situation.' ' No, sir,' 
replied he, in a touchingly feeble tone of mild 
resignation, ' I am not alone, for God is with me.' 
14 



210 MISCELLANEOUS. 

I asked him if he ever felt tempted to repine under 
the pressure of so long-continued and heavy ca- 
lamity. 'Not for the last three years,' said he, 
' blessed be God for it ; ' the eye of faith sparkling 
and giving life to his pallid countenance, while he 
made the declaration, ' for I have learned from this 
book in whom to believe ; and though I am aware 
of my weakness and unworthiness, I am persuaded 
that he will not leave nor forsake me. And so it 
is, that when my lips are closed with lockjaw, and 
I cannot speak to the glory of God, he enables me 
to sing his praises in my heart.' " 

Are not such hopes and such prospects sources 
of real pleasure 1 What is there in all worldly 
pleasures that can compare with that holy peace, 
that pure delight, which flows from the love of God, 
and a hope full of immortality ? Many there are who 
can bear testimony to the consolatory influences 
of religion, under circumstances of the most poig- 
nant affliction, and even in the last awful hours of 
life. Go to the sick bed of the humble believer, 
and say, " Poor sufferer, can you find comfort in 
the midst of anguish 1 " " Yes," says one, " I have 
pain, but I have peace " — Baxter. Go to the sick 
bed of the dying youth; ask him, " Can you feel 
any pleasure while sickness threatens you with an 
early tomb ? " Let one reply, who, being dead, yet 
speaks — Janeway. " O that I could let you 
know what I now feel ! O that I could express 
the thousandth part of that sweetness which I now 
find in Christ! O my friends, you little think 
what Christ is worth in a dying hour. I would not 
for millions of worlds be now without Christ and 
a pardon. I long to be with him. I long to die. 
sirs, worldly pleasures are pitiful, sorry things, 
compared with one glimpse of this glory, which 



MISCELLANEOUS. 211 

shines so strongly into my soul. 0, why should 
any of you be so sad, when I am so glad ? This, 
this is the hour that I have waited for." Happy 
they, who learn thus happily and peacefully to die. 
"Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; 
for the end of such is peace." 

COMPASSION AND CONDESCENSION OF CHRIST. 

FEAR not, says the Savior to his penitent, bro- 
ken-hearted disciple. Fear not, trembling, de- 
sponding soul. My glory, my perfections, need not 
alarm thee, for they are all engaged on thy side — 
all pledged to secure thy salvation. Tell me not 
of thy sins. I will take them away. Tell me not 
of thy weakness, thy folly, thy ignorance. I have 
treasures of wisdom, and knowledge, and strength 
for thee. Tell me not of the weakness of thy 
graces. My grace is sufficient for thee; for its 
riches are unsearchable. Tell me not of the dif- 
ficulties which oppose thy salvation. Is any thing 
too hard for me ! Tell me not that the favors 
thou art receiving are too great for thee. I know 
they are too great for thee to merit, but they are 
not too great for me to give. Nay, more ; I will 
give thee greater things than these. I will not 
only continue to pardon thy sins, bear with thine 
infirmities, and heal thy backslidings, but give thee 
larger and larger measures of my grace ; make 
thee more and more useful in the world, render 
thee more than conqueror over all thine enemies, 
and at death wipe away forever all thy tears, re- 
ceive thee to the mansions which my Father hath 
prepared for thee in heaven, and cause thec to sit 
down with me on my throne forever and ever. 
Thus doth Christ comfort those that mourn; 



212 MISCELLANEOUS. 

thus does he encourage the desponding ; thus ex- 
alts those that humble themselves at his feet, and 
constrains them to cry out in admiring transports 
of gratitude and love, " Who, 0, who is a God like 
unto thee, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and 
sin?" 

THE DOUBTING PENITENT. 

THAT is a distressing state of mind in which 
man is placed, when a kind and compassionate 
Savior, by the influence of his grace, is drawing 
the stricken penitent to himself; and when Satan 
is seen trying every artifice to keep him back, by 
persuading him that his past sins are so many and 
great, his case so hopeless and aggravated, and so 
far beyond the reach of mercy and pardon, that 
none of God's invitations, provisions, and promises 
belong to him ! The fountain opened for un- 
cleanness is under his eye, but he dares not ap- 
proach it. The Savior is lifted up before him, as 
the serpent in the wilderness, but he fears to look 
upon him. His exceeding great and precious 
promises are brought within his reach, but he can- 
not grasp them and call them his own. The spirit 
of evil is ever tempting him to entertain doubts, 
in the face of a covenant sure as God, and a light 
clear as the noonday sun ; tempting him to say, 
" I have sinned past forgiveness. I know God's 
promises are many and great, but none of them 
are meant for me. There is compassion with Christ, 
but it belongs not to me." Thus does Satan use 
his efforts to keep us from the way of salvation, by 
blinding our minds, lest the light of the glorious 
gospel of Christ should shine into our hearts. 
Thus does he endeavor to keep us away from that 
all-merciful Being, whose arms are ever extended 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



213 



to embrace the most abandoned of sinners, that 
come to him with the humble and contrite heart 
of the returning prodigal. 0, then, let all such 
sons and daughters of sorrow betake themselves 
at once to Him who has said, " Come unto me, all 
ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give 
you rest;' and they will find the peace and rest 

iu - need " Let thenl return un to the Lord, 
and he will heal them, and to our God, and he will 
abundantly pardon. 

u Come, freely come, by sin oppressed, 
On Jesus cast thy weighty load ; 

In him, thy refuge, find thy rest, 
Safe in the mercy of thy God. 

Thy God's thy Savior — glorious word ! 

O, hear, believe, and bless the Lord." 

LINES SUGGESTED BY A SICK CHRISTIAN'S 
STATE. 

T\OUBTS, and fears, and gloomy sadness 

Press around my lowly bed ; 
Sickness, terrors come to haunt me, 
With a wild and awful dread. 

Prayer ! 0. that has been my comfort ; 

Why does prayer forsake me now ? 
Satan surely is beside me, 

With his darts to pierce my brow. 

Evil thoughts of death and terror 

Make my life a weary thing ; 
O, could I but view that Savior, 

Who from death has plucked the sting ! 



214 MISCELLANEOUS. 

But my heart is filled with anguish ; 

Sorrow, sickness, are both near j 
Could I pray — but no, I languish, 

Overcome with sin and fear. 

Christian, thou, the sad, afflicted, 
"Weary, worn with guilt and care, 

List to words of peace and comfort, 
Sent to save thee from despair. 

Though in deep dismay at judgment, 
Thou forsaken feel, and lost ; 

Though thy heart is filled with anguish, 
All in wild confusion tossed ; — 

Listen to thy gracious Savior j 
His the power that bids thee live ; 

He invites the weary laden ; 
Every sin He will forgive. 

Yes, he died for every sinner — 
Words of comfort, just and true ! 

Torments has that Savior suffered, 
Death on Calvary for you. 

Do you think that he will let you 
Fall a prey to Satan's art ? 

No ! that good and gracious Shepherd 
Bids thee choose the better part. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



215 



Prayer has left thee for a season \ 
Force it on — 'twill not be vain'; 

Resist— resist the evil one, 
He will flee — then hope again. 

Peace and rest, through tribulation, 

Jesus offers unto you ; 
Doubt him not ; his word is sacred ; 

Jesus' word is ne'er untrue. 

SIN MUST BE RENOUNCED. 

P VERY one that will gain Christ must, every 
■Li one that savingly knows Christ does, readily 
lose and freely part with every known sin. Till sin 
is utterly rejected, Christ is never gained. There is 
not one word in Scripture that gives the least hope 
to any sinner of gaining Christ, who will continue 
in any known sin You utterly lose Christ, and 
all the benefits winch sinners can expect from 
Christ, if you will not part with every lust : no 
matter how gainful it may seem, you will, vou 
must lose Christ for it, if you will not lose it for 
Christ. 

EFFICACY OF CHRIST'S MERITS. 

pHRIST has merited righteousness for as many 
v as are found in him. In him God findeth us 
V ™ h . e f aith Mi for by faith we are incorporated 
in Christ. Then, although in ourselves we be al- 
together sinful, yet even the man who is impious 
in himself, full of iniquity, full of sin, — him. being 
found in Christ through faith, and having his sin 



216 MISCELLANEOUS. 

remitted through sincere repentance, — him God 
beholdeth with a gracious eye ; putteth away his 
sin by not imputing it ; taketh away the punish- 
ment due thereto, by pardoning it ; and accepteth 
him in Christ Jesus as perfectly righteous as though 
he had fulfilled all that was commanded him in the 
law ; shall I say, more perfectly righteous than if 
himself had fulfilled the whole law 1 I must take 
heed what I say ; but the apostle saith, " God made 
him to be sin (or a sin-offering) for us who knew 
no sin, that we might be made the righteousness 
of God in him." Such we are in the sight 
of God the Father, as is the very Son of 
God himself. Let it be counted folly, or frenzy, 
or whatsoever, it is our comfort and our wisdom ; 
we care for no knowledge in the world but this, 
that man hath sinned, and that God hath suffered ; 
that God hath made himself the Son of man, and 
that men are made " the righteousness of God." 

Bead the 141st Hymn. " 0, let triumphant faith 
dispel." 

CHRIST THE LIGHT OF LIFE. 

THE knowledge of Christ is the light of life, 
the dawning of approaching glory. When 
Christ is first known, the day of glory breaks ; and 
the more it increases, the more it shines unto per- 
fect day — unto perfect glory. 

THE HOLT SPIRIT NEEDED DAILY. 

THOUGH a Christian has for years been influ- 
enced by the Holy Ghost, he needs him afresh 
every day, as much as if he had never partaken of 
his influences at all ; because in himself he is as 
dark and as empty of all true goodness as ever. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 217 



GOD A GOD OF COVENANT. 

THE Lord upon the mercy seat, or throne of 
grace, is a God of covenant to all his people. 
Now, all the promises in the Bible are but so many 
articles of that covenant ; he that is in covenant 
with God is included in all the articles of it ; every 
promise belongs to him, so far as his condition 
makes him capable and requires it. The Lord 
upon a throne of grace is a God to us in Christ. 
Now, in Christ all the promises are Yea and Amen ; 
or, in other words, infallibly true — and that per- 
petually. The covenant is as a cluster of grapes ; 
the several promises are as particular grapes in 
that cluster ; Christ is as the branch, or stalk, that 
holds them all. He that lays hold on Christ hath 
the stalk in his hand, and so holds the whole clus- 
ter, and every particular grape. If Christ be ours, 
we have laid hold on the covenant ; the whole cluster of 
promises is in our hands. 

GOD'S MERCY TO SAINTS. 

THE saints are vessels full of mercy ; it falls into 
them here, but they shall fall into it hereafter, 
and be filled therewith, as a vessel cast into the sea. 
We swim in streams of mercy from one condition 
to another, till at last we are swallowed up in the 
ocean of mercy. 

Christ's love. 

CHRIST has the love of a friend, a brother, a 
father, a husband, of all relations, for every one 
of his people. And his sympathy, his pity, and 



218 MISCELLANEOUS. 

compassions, which proceed from his love, are of a 
corresponding character. He is as affectionately 
and as effectually touched with a feeling of his peo- 
ple's infirmities as though every one of them were 
every way related to him — as though they were 
his friends, his brethren, his sisters, his mother, his 
children, his spouse. He has the compassions, and 
so the love, not only of one relation for one, and 
another relation for another, but of all relations 
together, for every one of his. 

ANTINOMIAN DOCTRINES. 

Ungodly men, who turn the grace of God into lascivious- 
uess. Jude 4. 

FROM what the bee extracts honey, venomous 
insects will gather poison. An ungodly heart 
will convert the most wholesome truths of God's 
grace into the most poisonous effects : there ever 
were such men ; there are such at this day, who 
preach some of the truths concerning Christ, and 
the grace of God abounding to sinners in him, and 
yet with these maintain the most shameful heresies. 
They are the " fools who make a mock at sin." 
Personal holiness they practically hold in derision ; 
they " declare their sin as Sodom," " say unto the 
wicked it shall be well with him : " and they swal- 
low up every unscriptural error in that damnable 
heresy — All men shall be saved at last. 

O Christians ! as you love Christ, as you value 
your precious souls, as you prize communion with 
God, peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy 
Ghost, beware of such ungodly men ; keep at the 
greatest distance from them ; maintain the utmost 
abhorrence of their soul-destroying notions. Why, 
O, why did the biessed Spirit convince us of sin, 



MISCELLANEOUS. 219 

and lead us to Christ for salvation, but that we 
should love God, delight in him, enjoy fellowship 
with him, and have no more to do with the unfruit- 
ful works of darkness, but serve him in righteous- 
ness and true holiness all the days of our life? The 
faith that doth not influence us to this is not the 
faith of the holy gospel, not a faith in a holy Jesus, 
but it is the faith of the ungodly, whose end is 
destruction. 



THE CONVINCED SINNER BELIEVING IN CHRIST. 

WHEN a convinced sinner, who feels condemned 
by the law of God and his own conscience, 
and fears the sentence of eternal condemnation from 
the mouth of his Judge hereafter, hears and believes 
the glad tidings of salvation, they cause hope in the 
mercy of God to spring up in his anxious, troubled 
breast. He says to himself, "I am a miserable, 
guilty creature. I have rebelled against my Crea- 
tor, broken his laws, and thus exposed myself to 
his dreadful curse. How, then, can I escape from 
this curse, which threatens to plunge me into eter- 
nal ruin 1 Can I call back the idle words I have 
uttered, the sinful desires I have indulged, the 
wicked actions I have committed, the time I have 
wasted, the precious privileges and opportunities I 
have misimproved ? No. Can I wash away the 
guilt of these my sins from my troubled conscience, 
or blot out the black catalogue of them which is 
written in the book of God's remembrance ? No. 
Can I make any satisfaction or atonement for them, 
to appease my justly-offended God ? No. Even 
should I be perfectly obedient in future, still this 
will not blot out my past sins. Besides. I find that 
I daily commit new sins ; so that, instead of 



220 MISCELLANEOUS. 

diminishing, I increase my guilt. What, then, can 
I do ? Where can I turn ? On what can I build 
my hope of mercy 1 ? Why should God pardon 
me and give me heaven, when I have done, and 
still do, nothing but provoke him 1 What can I, 
what must I, do to be saved ? The gospel indeed 
says, ' Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou 
shalt be saved.' It tells me, that though my sins 
be as crimson color and scarlet dye, yet if I forsake 
them and turn unto the. Lord, he will abundantly 
pardon. Why should / not believe in Christ as 
well as others ? His blood cleanses from all sin. 
But perhaps I am too great a sinner. Yet the 
gospel assures me that Christ came to save the 
chief of sinners. Why, then, should I doubt ? Why 
should I not believe. I must, I will, lean, I do be- 
lieve ; Lord, help mine unbelief." 



CHRIST UNCHANGEABLE. 

A S amid all the vicissitudes of the seasons, the 
A- succession of day and night, and the change 
of the weather, the sun remains and shines in the 
same part of the heavens, so amid all the daily 
changes which the Christian experiences from 
darkness to light, and from summer to winter, in 
calms and tempests, the Sun of Kighteousness still 
continues the same ; and it is the same wisdom 
which leads him to hide and to unveil his face. 
But the Christian is at first ready to imagine that 
the changes in his feelings proceed from changes in 
Christ ; as those who do not consider the motion 
of the earth fancy that the sun really rises and 
sets. 

I would say to all Christians, then, Never distrust 
the kindness, the love, the wisdom, and faithfulness 



MISCELLANEOUS. 221 

of your Savior; but confide in him who hath 
promised that all things shall work together for 
your good. Though you may not now know what 
he is doing, you shall know" hereafter. You will 
see the reason of all the trials and temptations, the 
dark and comfortless hours, the distressing donbtfl 
and fears, the long and tedious conflicts with which 
you are now exercised, and you will be convinced 
that not a sigh, not a tear, not a single uneasy 
thought was allotted you without some wise and 
gracious design. Say not, then, like Joseph of old, 
" All these things are against me ; " say not, like 
David, " I shall one day perish by the hand of 
Saul j " for all these things are for your good, and 
you shall never perish, neither shall any pluck you 
out of Christ's hand. Why should you, who arc 
one of the sons of the King of heaven, be lean 
and discontented from day to day ? Remember, 
that if you are in the path of the just, you are the 
heir of God, and joint heir with Christ of an in- 
heritance incorruptible, eternal, and that fadeth not 
away. Be not discouraged at the small progress 
you appear to make, or the difficulties you may 
meet with. Wait on the Lord in the diligent use 
of his appointed means, and he will strengthen 
your hearts, so that you shall mount up as on 
eagle's wings ; you shall run and not be weary, 
you shall walk and not faint. 



" And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." 
Heb. x. 17. 

WILT thou remember, then, no more, 
Father of light and love ? 
Emboldened by thy gracious words, 
I plead to thee above. 



222 MISCELLANEOUS. 

Emboldened by thy call, to those 
Weak, trembling sinners given, 

I dare approach that holy throne, 
Where dwells the God of heaven. 

! 



Yet dare I not thus boldly come, 

For guilty-stained am I, 
Without the thought of that dear Lord 

Who died on Calvary ; — 



Who died for me and all the world, 
To save from Adam's loss ; 

To cleanse our sins in that red stream 
Still flowing from the cross. 

'Tis this, Lord, that brings me here 

Before thy feet to bow ; 
'Tis this hath raised my guilty heart 

To ask a Savior now. 

Iniquities and sins like mine 
No earthly fount can clear ; 

But in the stream of Jesus' blood 
They quickly disappear. 

'Tis there I seek for pardon sure, 
'Tis there the world defy, — 

In that pure stream of grace and love, 
Shed on Mount Calvary. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 223 

I look for pardon and for grace ; 

Temptatiou powerless lies ; 
And Satan trembles, as he knows 

For us the Savior dies. 

Vain the attempt to bid me doubt 
The way to heaven's bright shore ; 

For God, through Christ, remembers sins, 
Iniquities, no more. 

ON THE COMFORT DERIVED FROM THE BIBLE. 

NEVER was there a more correct estimate put 
upon the cheering influence of the Bible, amid 
the wreck of our earthly joys and the breaking up 
of our earthly tabernacle, than that which was onco 
given by a poor woman who had received a copy 
of the Bible from the Bible Society. Upon being 
asked by some one what value she set upon it, her 
reply was, " I would not take for it all this world 
could offer; for since I received the Bible, I have 
been called to pass through great trials ; and in 
these trials, this blessed book has given me that 
comfort which the world and all its wealth could 
not ; it hath given me a hope, through that Savior 
whom it reveals, of eternal life beyond the grave. 
This hope has made my sufferings appear light, to 
what they would have been if my hope had been 
in this life only." 

If such the sweetness of the stream, 

What will that fountain be, 
Where saints and angels draw their bliss 

Immediately from thee 1 



224 MISCELLANEOUS. 

When the dying believer has committed his soul 
to God, like this poor woman, and intrusted his 
present and eternal interests in his hands who has 
promised "to keep him until that day," he has 
nothing to fear from the principalities and powers 
of evil. He has nothing to alarm him on being 
told that he must shortly leave a world of trouble, 
and a sickly body, to dwell forever where the in- 
habitant shall not say, " I am sick." He has laid 
help on one mighty to save him in his last awful 
hour, and that " of the power of darkness." He 
has friends around him who are pledged to take 
care of, and give a peaceful resting-place to. his 
poor crumbling tabernacle of clay ; and he has a 
Friend greater than them all, who is watching over 
and taking care of that precious jewel, his soul, 
and no man shall pluck it out of his hands. He 
may still look forward to the solemnities of a dy- 
ing hour with a pensive sadness, and even with 
those sentiments of apprehension which tell him, 
" it is a fearful thing to die ; " but his language is, 
" I will fear no evil, for thou art with me ; thy rod 
and thy staff they comfort me." 

To one thus circumstanced, hope clings as the 
anchor of his soul, sure and steadfast, and faith 
covers him as his shield and buckler, to repel the 
fiery darts of the wicked one ; so that he can feel 
a something within that persuades him that neither 
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor 
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 
nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall 
be able to separate him from the love of God, which 
is in Christ Jesus our Lord." 

Read the 2d Hymn, " Father of mercies ! in thy 
Word." 



MISCELLANEOUS. 225 



CHRIST OUR CONFIDENCE. 

mHE Savior is worthy the confidence of his peo- 
J- pie ; and this not only in his character as 
Mediator, but in the perfection of his works ; for 
what he is to himself, he is to his people. Delight- 
ful thought ! There is not an imaginable neces- 
sity, but for which there is an abundant source in 
the Lamb that was slain. Are you guilty 1 stung 
with remorse for the past, and trembling with ap- 
prehension for the future ? Do you sec angry Om- 
nipotence rising before you, and brandishing his 
destructive sword 1 ? The Lamb becomes your 
Friend. There is no guilt he cannot pardon, no 
impurity which he cannot cleanse; and your sins 
shall, through the ablution of his blood, be as 
though they had never been. Does sin gain the 
victory over you, and under the burden of an ac- 
cusing conscience do you drop the silent tear ? 
The Lamb is your Friend. Jesus has promised, 
" sin shall not have dominion over you ; " he will 
supply you with adequate grace, and will enable 
you to overcome. Are you the subject of afflic- 
tion "? Jesus, the Lamb, is your Friend. Has the 
storm beaten on your naked bosom 1 has wave after 
wave rolled over your head 1 Have thy little ones 
been taken from thee ? or hast thou consigned to 
the tomb the wife of thy bosom ? or hast thou 
taken thy station at the grave of those whom thou 
most lovedst ? or hast thou wept at the recollection 
of joys which can never return ? Art thou bowing 
the head like a bulrush to the storm 8 The Lamb 
that was slain is thine unchanging Friend ; he is a 
Brother born for adversity; he is a Friend that 
sticketh closer than a brother. He combines all 
15 



226 MISCELLANEOUS. 

that is powerful to save with all that is sympa- 
thetic to feel. Are you looking down in the grave, 
and into all the realities of eternity ? Do you re- 
coil from the prospect of entering on the margin 
of the eternal world ? Jesus is thy Friend ; taking 
his station by thy side, he declares that " he is the 
resurrection and the life ; " that he " has the keys 
of hell and death ; " opening the door, he bids thee 
go down, and promises that he will raise thee up 
again. In short, the Savior is worthy of all the 
confidence of his people. For every situation of 
life— in health and in sickness, in liberty and m 
bondage, in prosperity and in adversity, under 
every aspect of trouble, and in the very agonies of 
death — the Lamb is worthy your confidence and 
your love. . 

Eead the 144th Hymn, " How firm a foundation, 
ye saints of the Lord." 

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE RIGHTEOUS AND 
THE WICKED. 

THE Lord, in his wisdom, sometimes afflicts and 
sometimes prospers both the righteous and the 
wicked, without any exact discrimination. The 
difference between them, as to present happiness, 
arises not from outward causes, but from the in- 
ward supports and consolations which the right- 
eous enjoy, and the benefit they derive from their 
varied trials and mercies ; and from the inward re- 
morse and terrors which wicked men experience, 
and their growing more daring in impiety under 
the several dispensations of providence. 



I 



MISCELLANEOUS. 227 



VOLTAIRE. 

T was when the awful realities of a future world 
flashed in all their terrors on the unbelieving 
soul of Voltaire, in the last wretched moments of 
his existence, that he was heard to declare to his 
physician, " that he would give his fortune to have 
his life prolonged half a year." 

PRAYER. 

"pRAYER moves the hand that moves all 
X things." If we have the ear of God, we are 
sure of the hand of God. 0, then, pray for the 
Holy Ghost — the spirit of prayer. Without him, 
we are without love, without humility, without 
fervor, without spirituality. It is when we pray 
" with all prayer and supplication in the spirit," it 
is then that we pray heartily and effectually. Then 
it is that the love of God will dwell richly with us, 
and that we will shine in all the beauties of holi- 
ness ; reflecting the image of Him with whom we 
are in the habit of constant intercourse and com- 
munion. We will be holy " in all manner of con- 
versation," and be " fruitful in every good word 
and work ; " " living not to ourselves, but to Him 
who died for us and rose again." 



HOLINESS. 

THE BEAUTY OP A HOLY LIFE CONSTITUTES A 
MOST ELOQUENT AND POWERFUL PERSUASIVE 
TO RELIGION. THERE 18 AN ENERGY OF MORAL 
SUASION IN A GOOD MAN'S LIFE PASSING THE 
HIGHEST EFFORTS OF THE ORATOR'S GENIU8. 



228 MISCELLANEOUS. 

The seen but silent beauty of holiness 
speaks most eloquently op god and piety. 
And the best inheritance a parent can 
bequeath a child, is an example of con- 
sistent virtue and piety. 

The universal command of the gospel is, (and 
this comprises all our duties,) to walk as Christ 
walked. 

niHE great end of religion is, to make us like God, 
-L and to conduct us to the enjoyment of him. 

AS much as lies in thy power, shun worldly com- 
pany ; for much conversation on worldly affairs, 
however innocently managed, greatly retards the 
progress of the spiritual life. 



CHRISTIANS SHOULD BE HAPPY. 

NOW that Christians are reconciled to God, it is 
their privilege to serve him with joy and glad- 
ness ; not in the spirit of fear, but in the spirit of 
adoption, whereby they cry, Abba, Father, and are 
enabled to love God as children love their father. 

LOVE OF GOD TO THE CHRISTIAN 

(]OD is the Christian's reconciled God and Fa- 
U ther; and the affection of the most ardent, 
earthly parent is not to be compared with the love 
which his heavenly Father exercises towards him. 
The watchfulness and solicitude of the most affec- 
tionate earthly parent for the child of his hopes 
affords but a faint idea of the watchful solicitude 
with which his heavenly Father regards him, his 
adopted son in Christ. And the pleasures and the 



MI8CELLAM.OIS 229 

glory of the world are not worthy of a comparison 
with those transcendent blessings to which he ifl an 
heir. He is a joint heir with the Son of God, and 
he hath gone before to take possession of the prom- 
ised inheritance, and shall share with him in a 
kingdom that shall never be moved — a crown of 
glory that fadeth not away. 

THE DIVINE GOODNESS. 

NOTHING can be of greater importance, either 
to the liveliness and vigor, or even to the very 
substance and being, of religion, than afcced, stable 
apprehension of the divine goodness. That religion 
is nothing, the soul whereof is not love. But that 
love may be the soul of it, there must be a con- 
stant apprehension of the loveliness of the object. 
Labor, then, to have your souls possessed always 
with a deep and fixed apprehension of the divine 
goodness. Contemplate it in every thing you be- 
hold, in every thing you enjoy ; yea, in the* lessen- 
ing and qualifying 'of those evils that you suffer. 
Go up and down in this world with hearts full of 
this thought, " the whole earth is full of his good- 
ness." Collect all the instances you can of the 
goodness of God, and keep by that means such an 
apprehension alive and in vigor concerning him. 
What a mighty spring would this be of cheerful 
and joyful religion ! Let no thought arise but that 
it meet with a seasonable check, if it tend to any 
diminution of the divine goodness. 



230 MISCELLANEOUS. 



DEATH OF THE GOOD. 

ORIGINAL. 

AS calmly sinks the setting sun 
To realms of gold in gorgeous skies, 
When day and all its toils are done, — 
In glorious peace, the good man dies. 

As glow the stars, when darkness falls, 
To cheer the close of fading day, 

So, brightening hopes, when death appalls, 
From heaven gleam to light his way. 

As peaceful clouds along the sky 
Retain the glories of the sun ; 

In memory bright are floating by 
His deeds of love in meekness done. 

He dies ! — as, passed the dreary night, 
The sun 'mid streams of light appears ; 

So, passed the vale, a holier light 
Bespeaks the glorious crown he wears. 

Thou, who art enthroned on high ! 

To me thy saving grace be given 
To live, and like the good man die ; 

Like him, be crowned of thee in heaven. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 231 



THE LAND WHICH NO MORTAL MAY KNOW. 
Bv B. Barton. 

rpHOUGH earth has full many a beautiful spot, 
•*• As the poet or painter might show ; 
Yet more lovely and beautiful, holy and bright, 
To the hopes of the heart, and the spirit's glad 
sight, 
Is the land which no mortal may know. 

There the crystalline stream, bursting forth from 
the throne, 

Flows on, and forever will flow ; 
Its waves, as they roll, are with melody rife, 
And its waters are sparkling with beauty and life, 

In the land which no mortal may know. 

And there, on its margin, with leaves ever green, 
With fruits healing sickness and woe, 

The fair Tree of Life, in its glory spread wide, 

Is fed by the deep, inexhaustible tide, 
On the land which no mortal may know. 

There, too, are the lost ! — whom we loved on this 
earth, 

With whose memory our bosoms still glow ! 
Their relics we gave to the place of the dead, 
But their glorified spirits before us have fled 

To the land which no mortal may know. 



232 MISCELLANEOUS. 

There the orb of night, and the fountain of day, 

Nor beauty nor splendor bestow ; 
But the presence of Him, the unchanging I AM, 
And the holy, the pure, the immaculate Lamb, 

Light the land which no mortal may know. 

ASSURANCE. 

QAID the excellent Rev. Mr. Richmond to his 
^ daughter, " See how holily and lovingly Arch- 
bishop Leighton walked with God, because he 
assuredly believed that his salvation was safe. Try 
to have such assurance. How much better to look 
out of self, and see all perfected in Christ ! You 
will never be happy and strong till you do so. Live 
upon Christ ; he has done all for you, if you could 
but believe it." 

STRONG FAITH RECOMMENDED. 

GOD is pleased when, with the sense of our own 
sinfulness, we wrap up ourselves in the garments 
of Christ's righteousness, and go boldly before his 
throne of grace. 

GOD THE CHIEF SOURCE OF COMFORT. 

GOD, in Christ, is the ocean of all sweetness and 
pleasure, in comparison with whom, all the 
pleasures that are, or ever were in the world, 
amount not to the proportion of a drop ; and for 
quality, the essence of them is but bitterness it- 
self. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 233 



SAFETY OF THE CHRISTIAN. 

THE Lord is ours, and we arc his. We have an 
interest in his glorious essence and attributes. 
In his omnipotence, that is our safety ; bj it we are 
more secure than if all the hosts of heaven and 
earth did surround us. And if we could use faith 
when we seem most deserted in the world, we 
might see more with us than against us ; we might 
behold, with Elisha's servant, " the mountains full 
of horses and chariots of fire about us." 

FEAR OF GOD. 

THE fear of God, says Leighton, is not a doubt- 
ing and distrust of his love. On the contrary, 
it is a fixed resting and trusting in it. Many are, 
through weakness, filled with fears. This is both 
unpleasant to them and to God. The best way is 
to exercise strong faith in God ; being most afraid 
to offend him, delighting to walk in his ways, lov- 
ing him and his will in all, and then resting per- 
suaded of his love, though he afHicts us. Let my 
soul roll itself on him, and adventure there all its 
weight. He bears greater matters ; upholding the 
frame of heaven and earth, and is not troubled nor 
burdened by it. 

HEAVEN. 

HEAVEN is not so much local as we imagine. 
Communion with God is heaven, and happiness, 
and eternal life. He that hath communion with 
God is in heaven while he is on earth ; and if a 
man could be there without this, he would want 
heaven, even in heaven. There is no essential dif- 



234 MISCELLANEOUS. 

ference between happiness on earth and happiness 
in heaven ; they differ but in degree. If a man on 
earth could enjoy perfect communion with God, he 
would be perfectly happy. 

A SAINT THE TEMPLE OP GOD. 

A SAINT is the temple of God, and every part 
of him is dedicated and consecrated to God. 
Our body, that is the outer court ; our soul, that 
is the holy place ; our spirit, that is the holy of 
holies. God is most in this, and manifests himself 
most gloriously in it. This is my resting-place ; 
here will I dwell. All the faculties of our soul and 
members of our body must be weapons and instru- 
ments of righteousness. 

THE BODY THE ONLY PARTITION BETWEEN GOD 
AND THE CHRISTIAN. 

11HEKE is nothing but the partition of the body 
■ between God and the Christian, and there are 
many windows in that, by which God passes to 
them and they to God, whereas others are stran- 
gers and aliens from him. . . . There are streams 
of comfort conveyed to them in ordinances, prom- 
ises, and privileges, of which they only have the 
actual enjoyment, and the joy resulting therefrom 
is unspeakable — a joy, a peace, that passeth un- 
derstanding. 

THE Christian is a palace op the Prince 
op Peace. He is a temple of the Lord 
of all. Every one should honor and revere 
him. He is " the noblest work of God," 
and as such, should be regarded. when 
dead, his memory will be held in honor. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 235 



CONSEQUENCES OF VICE. 

PHYSICIANS can testify from observation, that 
by far the greater portion of human distress is 
the result of intemperance, vice, ambition, and evil 
habits. the lacerations of mind, the misery of 
body, the lashings of conscience, the bitterness of 
remorse, that characterize the last days of the liber- 
tine, the sensualist, and the voluptuary ! The idea 
of " a short life and a merry one," though it may 
seem well in theory, fails in practice. 

" Those wounds heal ill which men do give 
themselves." 

ELECTION. 

THE elect of God are those who are chosen by 
him out of the world, and conditionally admit- 
ted into covenant with him. Into this covenant 
they are called by his Word, his Spirit, his minis- 
try, and his ordinances. Its privileges they are 
liable to forfeit ; for which reason St. Paul exhorts 
them to " give all diligence to make their calling 
and election sure." But, sincere in his purposes 
of mercy towards them, the Lord enables them by 
his grace (which must be daily prayed for) to obey 
his call. No secret will opposes his declared will 
that all men should be saved. No decree of his 
power selects certain individuals to salvation, and 
excludes others ; nor determines the eternal destiny 
of the human race, independently of those deeds 
done in the body, by which he declares all men 
shall be judged. No ; it was the eternal purpose 
of his mercy, in his Son Jesus Christ, to render 
salvation possible to all men, and finally to choose 
or reject them, according to the improvement which 



236 MISCELLANEOUS. 

they shall have made of the talents and the grace 
given unto them. Let all Christians, therefore, 
take heed, lest a promise being made them of en- 
tering into God's rest, they fall short ; take heed 
lest, called to be heirs of heaven, they forfeit its 
glories. 

" Vain are our fancies, vain our flights, 
If faith be cold and dead ; 
None but a living power unites 
To Christ, the living Head." 

Said the Rev. Mr. Flavel, " The way for men to 
discern their names written in the book of life is by 
reading the work of sanctifccation in their hearts. I 
desire no miraculous voice from heaven, no extraor- 
dinary signs, or unscriptural informations, in this 
matter. Let me find my heart obeying the will of 
my God; sin my burden, and Christ my desire ; I 
will never desire a surer evidence of his electing 
love to my soul ; and if I had an oracle from heav- 
en, an extraordinary messenger from the other 
world, to tell me that ' God loves me,' I have no 
reason to credit such a voice whilst I find my heart 
wholly sensual, averse to his requirements, and in- 
disposed to all that is spiritual." 

HE that loves God, says Leighton, may be sure 
that he was loved first ; and he that chooses 
God for his delight and portion may conclude con- 
fidently that God hath chosen him to be one of 
those that shall enjoy him, and be happy in him 
forever ; for that our love and electing of him is 
but the return and repercussion of the beams of his 
love shining upon us. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 237 



INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIAN HOPE. 



WHILST our thoughts and affections are set on 
things above, worldly prosperity will not 
greatly elevate, nor worldly adversity depress ; the 
one will not intoxicate, the other will not destroy. 
The Christian's great treasure knows no decay. 
His most valuable possession is not liable to the 
contingencies to which all earthly things are sub- 
ject. He is hastening to an incorruptible inherit- 
ance — a kingdom that cannot be moved. 

4; A hope so much divine 
May trials well endure." 

You, who know that you have in heaven a better 
and enduring substance, who are sure of a place at 
God's right hand, — a mansion in the skies, a bower 
in paradise, a seat in glory, a repose in Abraham's 
bosom, an asylum, a refuge, a house, a shelter in 
eternity ; you who are going to the general assem- 
bly and church of the first born, to the innumer- 
able company of angels, to Jesus the Mediator of 
the new covenant, to God the Judge of all, to the 
general gathering of the called and faithful, — you 
can afford a few trials by the way. You can smile 
at the transient storm, remembering the haven for 
which you are bound. Your little bark may feel 
the dash and fury of the storm ; but her anchor is 
cast within the haven, and she will outride the bil- 
lows and defy their rage. The believer hath cast 
anchor in heaven, and though he may suffer from 
the storms of life, he cannot be a wreck. 

You, who are trees of righteousness, the planting 
of the Lord, may bend before the blast as it whis- 
tles and howls around you, but you shall not be 



238 MISCELLANEOUS. 

broken by it. Let winds blow and tempests roar, 
they will take away nothing but leaves ; the tree is 
safe, and can neither be shivered nor torn up, be- 
ing fast rooted by the throne of God, and the fruit 
it bears is unto life eternal. So we hear the good of 
every age expressing and solacing themselves, 
amidst the fluctuations of surrounding circum- 
stances, and the depression to which it gives rise. 
David exclaims, " Though the mountains shall de- 
part and the hills be removed," &c, &c. Habakkuk. 
" Although the fig tree shall not blossom, nor fruit 
be in the vine, . . . still will I rejoice in the Lord, 
and joy in the God of my salvation." St. Paul, 
11 1 reckon that the sufferings of the present life are 
not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall 
be revealed in us." All believers may say, " We 
are cast down, but not destroyed ; sorrowful, yet 
always rejoicing ; patient in tribulation, yet joyful 
in hope. The Christian can bear the loss of those 
things that perish in the using, knowing that he has 
a treasure in heaven, unfading and eternal." 

Read the 147th Hymn. " When I can read my 
title clear." 

Read the 11th Hymn. " Sovereign Ruler of the 
skies." 

Read the 156th Hymn. " Father, whate'er of 
earthly bliss." 

VIGILANCE REQUISITE. 

THE Spirit in its blessed influences is like a dove, 
easily scared from its nest. Nothing more se- 
riously hinders progress, and weakens and enervates 
prayer, as allowed evil in any way. " If I regard 
iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." 
0, let him who would hasten unto God, who would 



MISCELLANEOUS. 239 

speed him along the appointed way, remember that 
universal sincerity and uprightness of heart in the 
service of God is happiness ; that there is an in- 
timate and inseparable connection between " sin- 
gleness of heart" and "gladness of heart;" be- 
tween singleness of eye to the glory of God and 
the cheering light of God's presence within the soul. 
'• If thine eye be single, the whole body shall be full 
of light ; but if the light that is in thee be darkness, 
how great is that darkness ! " 

EFFICACY OF CHRIST'S MERITS. 

THOUGH the believer be unworthy to be heard, 
yet Christ is worthy ; he it is that undertakes to 
present his petitions, and to procure an answer. 
Believers, when they are found praying, are found, 
not as having their own righteousness, but that 
which is through the faith of Christ — that which 
is of God by faith. Faith makes Christ yours, 
and so his righteousness yours ; it unites to Christ 
as your head — the head and the members are as 
one mystical person. When the Lord looks on you 
he finds you as having Christ's righteousness, and that 
is enough to make both person and prayers righteous ; 
to cover all unworthiness in either, that might hinder 
acceptance. Though Christ communicates not his 
merits so as we can deserve any thing, yet he com- 
municates the efficacy and benefits of interest in his 
merits ; so as, if they be not ours, they are for us j 
he deserves, he is ivorthy that we should be heard. 



OXENSTIERN. 



T 



HIS excellent man (the chancellor of Sweden) 
was a man of great abilities, and uncorruptcd 



240 MISCELLANEOUS. 

integrity. So great was the confidence reposed in 
him by the queen, that he was invested with the 
management of public affairs, and he conducted 
himself with singular wisdom and uprightness. 
In the great schemes which he formed for the in- 
terests of his country, he was very successful ; and 
was highly esteemed, not only by his countrymen, 
but by the most eminent persons in Europe. 

This great statesman spent a part of his time in 
retirement, from which he derived the highest ad- 
vantage. In his retreat, he was visited by the 
English ambassador, and in the conclusion of their 
conversation he made the following very interest- 
ing observations : " I have seen much, and en- 
joyed much of this world, but I never knew how 
to live till now. I thank God that he hath given 
me time to know him, and to know myself. All 
the comfort I have, and which is more than the 
whole world can give, is in the enjoyment of the 
influences of his Holy Spirit, and in the perusal of 
his Holy Word." 

He then said to the ambassador, " You are now 
in the prime of your age and vigor, and in great 
favor and business ; but all this will leave you, and 
you will one day better understand and relish what 
I say. You will then find that there is more wis- 
dom, truth, comfort, and pleasure in retiring and 
in turning your heart from the world to the good 
Spirit of God, and in reading the Bible, than in all 
the courts and favors of princes." 

These sentiments are the more interesting when 
we reflect, that they came from one of the greatest 
and wisest men of the age ; when his mind and 
body were sound and vigorous, and when he was 
best able to judge of human life, and of the hap- 
piness which is to be derived from religion. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 241 



J. MASOtf. 



ANOTHER strong testimony to the importance 
of religion is given by Sir John Mason, who, 
though but sixty-three years old at his death, had 
flourished in the reign of four sovereigns, had been 
privy councillor to them all, and an attentive ob- 
server of the various revolutions and vicissitudes 
of those times. Towards his latter end, bein<; on 
his death bed. he spoke thus to those about him : 
" I have lived to see five sovereigns, and have been 
privy counsellor to four of them. I have seen the 
most remarkable things in foreign parts, and have 
been present at most state transactions for the last 
thirty years ; and I have learned from the expe- 
rience of this length of time, that seriousness is the 
greatest wisdom, temperance the best physic, and 
a good conscience the best estate. And were I to 
live again, I would change the court for a cloister, 
a piivy councillor's bustle for a hermit's retirement, 
and the whole life I have lived in the palace for an 
hour's enjoyment of God in the chapel. All things 
now forsake me, except my God. my duty, and my 
prayers." 

From the regret expressed by Sir J. Mason, it 
appears that his error consisted, not in having 
served his king and country in the eminent stations 
in which he had been placed, but in having suffered 
his mind to be so much occupied with business as 
to make him neglect, in some degree, the proper 
seasons of religious retirement, and the prime 
duties which he owed to his Creator. 

u "DOR my own part," said Mrs. Hannah More, 
•*• " the more I see of the honored, famed, and 
16 



242 MISCELLANEOUS. 

great, the more I see of the littleness and unsatis- 
factoriness of all created good, and that no earthly 
pleasure can fill up the wants of the soul." 

SALMASIUS. 

WHEN this eminently learned man arrived -at 
the evening of his days, and found leisure to 
reflect seriously on the great end of his being, he 
acknowledged that he had been too much and too 
earnestly engaged in literary pursuits, and had 
greatly overlooked those objects in which true and 
solid happiness consists. " 0," said he, " I have 
lost an immense portion of time — time, that most 
precious thing in the world ! Had I but one year 
more, it would be spent in studying the Psalms and 
the Epistles of St. Paul. sirs" said he to those 
about him, "mind the world less, and God more. 
' The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart 
from evil, that is understanding.' " 

JOHN LOCKE. 

SAID the celebrated John Locke, " This life is a 
scene of vanity, which soon passes away, and 
affords no solid satisfaction but in the conscious- 
ness of doing well, and in the hopes of another 
life. This is what I can say upon experience, and 
what will be found to be true when the account is 
made up." 

JAMES HERVET. 

THE last illness of this truly excellent man com- 
menced in the autumn of the year 1758, and in 
a few months made a great and affecting progress. 
His strength became exhausted, his body extremely 



MISCELLANEOUS. 243 

emaciated, and his whole frame so sore that lie 
could scarcely bear to be touched, when it was 
necessary to move him. Yet under all this ca- 
lamity, he was ever praising God for his mercies, 
and for enduing him with patience. About three 
hours before his death, he strongly and affection- 
ately urged a friend of his who was present to pav 
all due attention to the care of his everlasting con- 
cerns. He entreated him not to be overcharged 
with the cares of this life, but to attend, amidst the 
multiplicity of his business, to the ;i one thing 
needful." The physician, observing the great dif- 
ficulty and pain with which he spoke, desired that 
he would spare himself. " No," said he, " doctor, 
no. You tell me I have but a few moments to live. 
O, let me spend them in adoring our great Re- 
deemer." He then repeated the verse, " Though 
my flesh and my heart fail me, yet God is the 
strength of my heart, and my portion forever ; " 
and he expatiated in a most striking manner on 
these words of the apostle, " All things are yours, 
life and death, for ye are Christ's." " Here," said 
he, ' ; is the treasure of a Christian. Death is reck- 
oned in this inventory, and a noble treasure it is. 
How thankful am I for death, as it is the passage 
through which I go to the Lord and Giver of eter- 
nal life, and as it frees me from all the misery you 
now see me endure, and which I am willing to en- 
dure as long as God thinks fit ; for I know he will 
in his own good time dismiss me from the body. 
These light afflictions are but for a moment, and 
then comes an eternal weight of glory. O. wel- 
come, welcome, death ! Thou mayest well be reck- 
oned among the treasures of the Christian. ' To 
live is Christ, but to die is gain.' " 

After these expressions, as the doctor was taking 



244 MISCELLANEOUS. 

his final leave of him, the dying saint expressed 
great gratitude for his visits and attention, though 
it had long been out of the power of medicines 
to cure him. He then paused a little ; and being 
raised in a chair, he, with great serenity and sweet- 
ness of countenance, though the pangs of death 
were upon him, repeated these words : " Lord, now 
lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according 
to thy holy and most comfortable word ; for mine 
eyes have seen thy salvation." 

In about an hour after he had uttered these ex- 
pressions, he yielded up his pious soul to God 
without a sigh or struggle, in the forty-fifth year 
of his age. 



DR. WATTS. 



TWO or three years before his death, the active 
and sprightly powers of his nature gradually 
failed ; yet his trust in God, through Jesus the 
Mediator, remained unshaken to the last. He 
was heard to say, " I bless God, I can lie down 
with comfort at night, not being solicitous whether 
I awake in this world or another." And again : 
" I should be glad to read more ; yet not in order 
to be confirmed in the truth of the Christian re- 
ligion, or in the truth of its promises, for I believe 
them enough to venture an eternity upon them." 

When he was almost worn out and broken down 
by his infirmities, he said, in conversation with a 
friend, " I remember an aged minister used to ob- 
serve that the most learned and knowing Christians, 
when they come to die, have only the same plain 
promises of the gospel for their support as the com- 
mon and unlearned ; and so I find it. It is the plain 
promises of the gospel that are my support ; and I 
bless God they are plain promises, that do not re- 
quire much labor and pains to understand them." 



MISCELLANEOUS. 245 

At times, when he found his spirit tending to 
impatience, and ready to complain that he could 
only lead a mere animal life, he would check him- 
self thus : M The business of a Christian is to bear 
the will of God, as well as to do it. If I were in 
health, I ought to be doing it : and now it is my 
duty to bear it. The best thing in obedience, is a 
regard to the will of God ; and the way to that is, to 
have our inclinations and aversions as much mor- 
tified as we can." 

With so calm and peaceful a mind, so blessed 
and lively a hope, did the resigned servant of 
Christ wait for his Master's summons. He quietly 
expired in the seventy-fifth year of his age. 



LINES ON THE DEATH OF A CHILD. 

WRITTEN BT ITS MOTHER. 



D 



EAR child ! thou gav'st one parting sigh 
With that thy spirit fled, 
And winged its flight on high : 

Though gone, thou art not dead ; 
No tears nor prayers its flight could stay — 
'Twas Jesus called : it must obey. 

My son ! I know that thou art blest — 
Blest with the saints in heaven ; 

That thou hast early gone to rest, — 
Sweet rest, — by Jesus given. 

Thine eyes were closed on earth in love, 

To wake in endless bliss above. 



246 MISCELLANEOUS. 

But 0, my spirits fail, 

And feel a pang untold — 
Thy ruby lips so pale, 

Thy blushing cheek so cold, 
And dim thine eyes, which once, so bright, 
Did sweetly bless thy mother's sight. 

To lay thy darling form, 

So lovely e'en in death, 
Deep in the cold, damp earth, 

To feed the loathsome worm ; 
Ah ! anguish worse than twice to die, 
And part in pain and agony. 

Like vernal flower he grew, 
Expanding to the rising morn, 

Bright gemmed with sparkling dew — 
The flower without the thorn ; 

A mother's sweet and lovely flower, 

And lovelier blooming every hour. 

Alas ! my morning bloom 
Scarce felt the summer's ray ; 

For 0, an unexpected gloom 
Obscured the rising day. 

A wintry cold, and withering blast, 

Low on the ground its beauties cast 

The blossom leaves are shed 
That oped so fresh and fair, 



-J 



MISCELLANEOUS. 247 

The balmy fragrance fled 

That scented sweet the air. 
And prostrate lies the lifeless form, 
A gentle victim of the storm. 

But it again shall rise, 

In heavenly beauty bright. 
To charm my ravished eyes 

With glow of holy light. 
To bloom unfading in the skies, 
And drink the dews of paradise. 

O, this is blest relief, 

My drooping heart to cheer ; 
It soothes my burning grief. 

And gladdens every tear. 
These eyes shall greet my darling then, 
Nor shed a parting tear again ! 

HAPPT CONDITION OF THE BELIEVER. 

HOAV happy is the state of a believer, to have 
a sure promise that i; all things shall work to- 
gether for good" in the end, and in the mean time a 
sure refuge where to find present relief, support. 
and protection ! How comfortable is it, when trou- 
ble is near, to know that the Lord is near likewise, 
and to commit ourselves and all our cares simply 
to him, believing that his eye is upon us and his 
ear open to our prayers ! Under the conduct of 
such a Shepherd we need not fear; though wc 
are called to pass through fire and water, he will 



248 MISCELLANEOUS. 

be with us, and will show himself mighty in our 
behalf. When means and hope fail, when every 
thing looks dark about us, when we seem shut up 
on every side, when we are brought to the lowest 
ebb, still our help is in him — in him to whom all 
things are possible, and who has assured us that 
we shall never be forsaken by him. He is the un- 
failing fountain of life, grace, strength, and com- 
fort to his people, and of his fulness his children 
receive according to their occasions ; so that, not 
unfrequently, the hour of affliction is the golden 
hour of the greatest consolation. Though circum- 
stances and creatures change, he will be an un- 
changeable friend. The love and tenderness of ten 
thousand mothers towards their sucklings, if compared 
with his, are less than a drop of water to the ocean. 
With the eye, and the ear, and the heart of a friend, 
he attends to their sorrows, he counts their sighs, 
bottles their tears ; and when their spirits are over- 
whelmed within them, he knows their path, and 
adjusts the time, the measure of their trials, and 
every thing that is necessary for their present sup- 
port and seasonable deliverance. He never afflicts 
them willingly, or because he takes pleasure in 
grieving them, but does it only for their good, and 
when they stand in need of it. His love towards 
them is the same when he wounds as when he heals, 
when he takes away as when he gives. Having 
redeemed them by his blood, he sets a high value 
upon them ; he esteems them his treasures, his jew- 
els, and keeps them as the pupil of his eye. They 
shall not want ; they need not fear ; for he himself 
is their Guardian and Keeper. On earth he guides 
their steps, controls their enemies, and orders all 
things for good in regard to them ; while in heaven 
he is pleading their cause, preparing them a place, 



MISCELLANEOUS. 249 

and communicating to them a reviving foretaste 
of the glory that shall shortly he revealed. Hap- 
py they, who are thus the objects of his love 
and care. Happy the people that are in such a 
case ; yea, blessed arc the people, who in this 
manner have the Lord for their God. 

Read the 157th Hymn. "Be still, my heart; 
these anxious cares." 



CHRISTIANS SHOULD REJOICE. 

THAT you may enjoy the comfort of religion, let 
it be your constant care to cultivate a holy 
nearness to God, a close living with him ; to seek 
to be crucified to the world, and to have the world 
crucified unto you -, and never forget that it is sin 
alone and unbelief which can wound the unbeliev- 
er's conscience, or damp the ardor of his joy. Let 
this be ardent -, let the exercises of faith and holi- 
ness produce a glad heart and cheerful counte- 
nance ; and in order that you may exhibit it for 
your own comfort, and for the encouragement of 
others, I would say, in the language of the apostle, 
"Rejoice in the Lord always." Rejoice, if you 
have been made a partaker of the grace of God ; 
rejoice in that you have been delivered from the 
fearful pit ; rejoice in the access which is opened 
to you of daily communication between earth and 
heaven, to a throne of grace, through the merits of 
Jesus Christ in the rent veil of the Redeemer's 
grace ; rejoice in the privileges that are opened to 
you as the peculiar people of God, admission to 
his table, fellowship with the saints, and all the 
high and countless privileges of the church ; re- 
joice in the precious blood of Christ, which cleans- 
eth from all sin ; rejoice in the agency and work 



250 MISCELLANEOUS. 

of the Spirit, which is given to you to be your 
comforter, your enlightener, and your sanctifier; 
rejoice in the prospect of the glory that awaits you 
in the world to come. 

Head the 15th Hymn. " All glorious God, what 
hymns of praise." 

Eead the Hist Hymn. " O, let triumphant faith 
dispel." 



A TRUE Christian knows well the nature and 
value of prayer. Prayer is intercourse with 
God, the breath of the soul, the channel through 
which its desires are communicated to God ; and 
the blessings of heaven vouchsafed to man ; it is 
the source of his strength, and joy, and peace. 
When cold and formal, he culls but scanty fruit 
from the varied comforts of life, while he finds 
every temptation to evil augmented in its power 
and influence over the mind. When, on the other 
hand, his prayer is warm, fervent, and unremitting, 
all is quiet and joyful in his heart. The smile and 
blessing of God are upon him, and nothing can dis- 
turb the peaceful serenity of his soul. Enjoying 
the friendship of God by prayer and other spiritual 
exercises, he enjoys happiness in God. And this 
he does by the principle of faith, — faith which is 
the result of prayer, — which sanctifieth thought, 
and directs its course, and clears its way to the 
calmer and better regions of the heavenly 
world. 

Many may be the hours of wounded hopes and 
painful disquietudes of mind which the Christian 
experiences in the course of his pilgrimage through 
this vaie of tears ; but these are sometimes ex- 
changed for hours passed at the throne of grace, 



MISCELLANEOUS. 251 

to which no eye but that of God is witness — hours 
when Christ speaks, and pain and sorrow are for- 
gotten — hours, when cut off from the din of life, 
and separated from friends, and left alone with 
God, every murmuring is hushed, and every pri- 
vation is repaid — hours when the manifestation 
of the Redeemer's glory to the soul has shed a 
calm and blissful radiance around every prospect, 
and proved the earnest of that better heritage 
which is incorruptible and undefiled, and that 
fadeth not away forever. 

Read the 134th Hymn. " Prayer is the soul's 
sincere desire." 

HAPPY DEATHS. 

IT is not merely apostles and martyrs that have 
passed triumphantly into eternity. Many of the 
young disciples of the Lord have died with as much 
composure and as much holy joy as they. H. 
Goulding died in his twenty-fourth year. When 
he felt the approach of death, he uttered these rap- 
turous expressions : " I find now it is no delusion. 
Can this be dying ! This body seems no longer to 
belong to the soul ; it appears only as a curtain 
that covers it 5 and soon I shall drop this curtain, 
and be set at liberty." Then, putting his hand to 
his heart, he exclaimed, " I rejoice to feel these 
bones give way, as it tells me that I shall be with 
my God in glory." His last words were, " Glory, 
glory, glory." 

The following sentiments were expressed by a 
young girl, who suffered much before her death : — 

"I have enjoyed for some years more comfort 
than I can express ; then why should I repine ? 
When I am not torn with pain, I have always felt 



252 MISCELLANEOUS. 

peace and pleasure. I wish to be in heaven with 
mv Savior. I trust I am waiting for his coming. 
I feel extreme pain at times, but I do not feel one 
pain in my mind? 1 In her latest hours, when the 
power of speech was almost gone, she faintly- 
whispered, " Happy, happy," and seemed in 
prayer to say, t; Come, my dear Savior, come." 

" It is enough for me," said another, " to know I 
am suffering the will of God. Her countenance then 
frequently beamed with benignity and sacred com- 
posure. The Savior she loved was her hope ; and 
as eternal scenes drew near, her hope retained all 
its cheering power. A friend observed to her, that 
her hope was worth the world. " More than the 
world to me, sir," was the expressive reply. When 
her last hour approached, she said, "I desire to 
depart and to be with Christ ; I long to be with 
my Savior." She remarked, that she would not 
change places with any of her Christian friends 
who were in health around her. Her desires were 
at length accomplished, and her Lord took her to 
her endless home. 

Another young disciple of the Savior, in h>9 last 
illness, remarked, that the thoughts of eternity 
were most pleasant to him. He spoke of himself 
as lying at the Savior's feet, willing to receive ease 
or pain, and said, " Death is never once a terror j 
I am not afraid to die*, it rather seems lovely. 
Christ is every thing. He is my all in all." 

Such cheering instances of the power of divine 
grace have been almost numberless. One of the 
last expressions of a dying saint, whose piety be- 
gan in youth, was, " Welcome, joy." Another, who 
sought God when but thirteen, feeling her pulse, 
while death was stealing on her, said, " Well, it 
will be but a little while before my work in this 



MISCELLANEOUS. 253 

world is finished. Then I shall have done with 
prayer. My whole employment id heaven will 
be praise and love. Here I love God faintly, 
yet I hope sincerely ; there it will be perfectly. *I 
shall behold his face in righteousness, fur 1 am thy 
servant, Lord, bought with blood. He died to pur- 
chase the life of my soul. A little while and I shall 
be singing that sweet song, 'Blessing and honor, and 
glory and power, be unto Him that sittcth upon the 
throne, and to the Lamb forever and ever.' ri With 
smiles, she often said, " Come. Lord Jesus, come 
quickly. O blessed convoy, come and fetch my 
soul to dwell with God and Christ, and perfect 
spirits forever and ever. O. the glory, the glory 
that shall be set on the head of faith* and love !'' 
Soon after, she said, "Farewell, sin, farewell, pains," 
and then in holy peace expired. (See p. 257.) 

Yes, there have been scenes of dying blessed- 
ness, which, hidden in the retirement of the still 
death room, have made manifest as day the pres- 
ence of the Savior, whispering of celestial joys, 
lifting to the view of the dying visions which the 
living could not perceive, and revealing to the de- 
parting saint things which only the departing could 
understand ; until the ravished spirit, forgetful of 
the pains of dissolution, and shrinking from its clay, 
has struggled and hastened to depart, and, like a 
bird let loose, to be free and disembodied. 

Let those who have witnessed such scenes cher- 
ish their remembrance for their dying hour. Let 
them rejoice in the consolations which the religion 
of Jesus has provided for all believers, in death as 
in life. And if some beloved spirit has passed the 
portals of the grave in joyfulness and triumph, let 
them make it their frequent prayer, that the love 
and peace by which they were supported may, 



254 MISCELLANEOUS. 

through God's grace, be theirs in the time of their 
last mortal trial. 

" In vain our fancy strives to paint 
The moment after death ; 
The glories that surround the saint 
When he resigns his breath. 

" Thus much, and this is all, we know — 
They are supremely blest ; 
Have done with sin, and care, and woe, 
And with their Savior rest. 

" On harps of gold his name they praise, 
His presence always view ; 
And if we here their footsteps trace, 
There we shall praise him too." 



THERE are few more remarkable instances of the 
happy power of religion on the mind than that 
which was exhibited by Mrs. H, when she drew 
near the close of life. The following account of 
her last illness was drawn up by a person who at- 
tended her throughout ; — 

From the time of her first seizure, she was ex- 
ercised with very violent pains, without any inter- 
mission, till her death ; such as, she would often 
say, she thought she could not have borne ; but 
" The Lord is good," said she, " verily, he is good 
to me ! I have found him a good and gracious 
God to me, all my days." 

When recovering from extreme pain, she re- 
marked, " These pains make me love my Savior 
the better. They remind me what he suffered to 



MISCELLANEOUS. 255 

purchase salvation for me — for me, the greatest 
of sinners — for me, who so long refused the rich 
offers of his grace. O, under what obligations am 
I to him, and what blessings and privileges have I 
enjoyed at his hands ! ' Bless the Lord, O my soul, 
and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 
Bless the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his 
benefits.' " 

When any were weeping or mourning over her. 
she would say, " Weep not for me ; it is the will 
of God; therefore be content. If it may be for his 
honor and glory, he will spare me a little longer ; 
if not, I am wholly resigned to the will of God. 
I am content to stay here as long as he has any 
thing for me to do or to suffer, and I am willing to 
go if it be my Father's good pleasure. Therefore 
be content, and say, ' It is the Lord, let him do what 
seemeth to him good.' " 

To an individual who came to see her she said, 
" I think I shall die ; and now what a comfort it is 
that I am not afraid of death ! The blood of Christ 
cleanseth from all sin. But mistake me not : there 
must be a life and conversation agreeable to the gospel, 
or else our faith in Christ is a dead faith. Secure 
Christ for your Friend. Set not your heart on 
things below; riches, and honors, and what the 
world calls pleasures, are all fading, perishing 
things." She then raised her hand and said, " 0, 
if I had thousands of gold and silver, what could 
they do for me, now that I am dying ? Take the 
advice of a departing friend, who wishes you well. 
Do not set your affections on riches, or on any 
thing here below. Remember, death will come in 
a little while, whether you are ready or not. I 
commend you to God. I hope in a short time we 
shall meet again in heaven, the place of permanent 
peace, rest, and happiness." 



256 MISCELLANEOUS. 

The whole time of her sickness, she was in a 
cheerful, thankful frame of mind. She was very 
grateful for the slightest attentions that were paid 
her, and for the comfort derived from her medi- 
cines. " Blessed be God," she would say, " for his 
manifold mercies and blessings. O, how many I 
have ! I want for nothing, unless it be a tranquil 
passage to glory. It was free grace that plucked 
me from the brink of ruin, and it is the power of 
divine grace that has supported me through life. 
Hitherto, I can say the Lord is gracious. He has 
been very merciful to me, in sustaining me under 
all my trials. He sends affliction, but it is only 
because it is for our profit. I can say, with David, 
1 It is good for me that I have been afflicted \ ' it 
lias enabled me to discern things which, when I 
was in health, I could not perceive. It has made 
me see more of the vanity and emptiness of this 
world and its transient comforts, for at best they 
are but vanity. I can say from experience, I have 
found them to be so, many a time." 

To her husband, the day before she died, she 
said, : ' My dear, I think I am going apace ; and I 
hope you will be satisfied, because it is the will of 
God. You have at all times been very good to me, 
and I thank you for it kindly ; and now I desire you 
freely to resign me to God. If he sees it best to 
take me to himself, I am willing to go. I am 
willing to be, and to bear, what may be most for 
his glory." 

The evening before she died, she found death 
stealing upon her, and feeling her own pulse, said, 
" Well, it will be but a little while before my work 
in this world will be finished. Then I shall have 
done with prayer. My whole employment in heav- 
en will be praise and love. Here I love God faintly, 



MlBGBLLAXBOtrS. 257 

yet I hope sincerely ; but there it will be perfectly. 
I shall behold his face in righteouanesi, for I am 
thy servant, Lord, bought with thy preciona Mood. 
A little while, and then I shall he singing that iweel 
song, 'Blessing and honor, and glory and power, 
be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and to 
the Lamb forever and ever.' " 

With smiles and transports of joy, she often said, 
" ' Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly ! ' Blessed an- 
gels ! come and fetch my soul that it may dwell 
with God, and Christ, and perfect spirits forever. 
When I join that blessed societv above, my pleas- 
ures will never end. the glofv that shall be set 
upon the head of faith and love ! " 

A few minutes before her departure, finding her- 
self going, she desired to be lifted up. When this 
was done, she cheerfully said, ,; Farewell, sin ! fare- 
well, pain ! " and so finished her course with joy. 

POWER OF RELIGION'. 

THE following interesting examples of the power 
of religion on the minds of persons in humble 
life are from the writings of the Rev. J. Newton. 

"Permit me," says Mr. N., in writing to a noble- 
man, " to relate some things which exceedingly 
struck me in the conversation I had with a young 
woman, whom I visited in her last illness.' wShe 
was a sober, prudent person, of plain sense : she 
could read the Bible, but had read little besides. 
Her knowledge of the world was nearly confined 
to the parish; for I suppose she was seldom, if 
ever, twelve miles from home. She had known the 
gospel about seven years before the Lord visited 
her with a lingering consumption, which at length 
removed her to a better world. A few davs pre- 
17 



258 MISCELLANEOUS. 

vious to her death, in prayer by her bedside, I 
thanked the Lord that he gave her now to see that 
she had not followed ' cunningly-devised fables' 
When I had finished, she repeated that expression, 
'No,' said she, "not cunningly-devised fables;" 
these are realities indeed. I feel their truth ; I feel 
their comfort. O, tell my friends, tell my acquaint- 
ance, tell poor sinners, tell " all the daughters of 
Jerusalem," alluding to Solomon's Song, what Je- 
sus has done for my soul ! Tell them that now, in 
time of need, I find him my Beloved and my Friend, 
and as such I commend him to them.' 

" She then fixed her eyes steadfastly upon me, 
and proceeded, to the best of my recollection, as 
follows : ' Sir, you are highly favored in being 
called to preach the gospel. I have often heard 
you with pleasure ; but give me leave to tell you, 
that I now see all you have said, or that you can 
say, is comparatively but little. Nor till you come 
in my situation, and have death and eternity full in 
your view, will it be possible for you to conceive 
the vast weight and importance of the truths you 
declare. sir, it is a serious thing to die ; no words 
can express what is needful to support the soul in the 
solemnity of a dying hour.'' 

- When I visited her again, she said, ' I feel that 
my hope is fixed upon the Rock of Ages ; I know 
in whom I have believed. But the approach of 
death presents a prospect which is, till then, hidden 
from us, and which cannot be described.' She said 
much more to the same purpose ; and in all she 
spoke there were dignity, weight, and evidence. 
Well may we say with Elihu, ' Who teacheth like 
the Lord 1 ' 

" Many instances of this kind I have met with 
here. I have a poor girl near me, whose natural 



MISCELLANEOUS. 259 

capacity is very small ; but the Lord has been 
pleased to make her acquainted alternately with 
great temptations and proportionably great di>- 
coveries of his love and truth ; sometimes, when 
her heart is enlarged, I listen to her with astonish- 
ment. I think no books, or ministers, I ever met 
with, have given me such impression and under- 
standing of what the apostle says, ' the deep things 
of God,' as I have, upon some occasions, received 
from her conversation. 

'• We have lost another of the Lord's people 
here ; a person of much experience, eminent grace, 
wisdom, and usefulness. She walked with God 
forty years. She was one of the Lord's poor ; but 
her poverty was decent, sanctified, and honorable. 
She lived respected, and her death is considered as 
a public loss. It is a great loss to me ; I shall miss 
her advice and example, by which I have been often 
edified and animated. Almost the last words she 
uttered were, ' The Lord is my portion, saith my 
soul.' 

" My attendance upon the sick is not always 
equally comfortable ; but could I learn aright, it 
might" be equally instructive. Some confirm to 
me the preciousness of a Savior by the cheerful- 
ness with which, through faith in his name, they 
meet the king of terrors. Others no less confirm 
it by the terror and reluctance they discover, when 
they find they must die. For though there are too 
many who sadly slight the blessed gospel while 
they are in health, yet in this place most are too 
far "enlightened to be quite thoughtless about their 
souls in their last illness, if they retain their senses. 
Then, like the foolish virgins, they say, ' Give us 
of your oil.' 

" Through the Lord's goodness, several, whom I 



260 MISCELLANEOUS. 

have visited in these circumstances, have afforded 
me a comfortable hope. I have seen a marvellous 
and blessed change take place in a few days, in 
their language, views, and temper. I now visit a 
young person, who is cut short in her nineteenth 
year by a consumption, and who, I think, cannot 
live many days. I found her very ignorant and 
insensible, and she remained so a good while ; but 
of late I hope her heart is touched. She feels her 
lost state ; she seems to have some right desires, 
and I cannot but think the Lord is teaching her, 
and will reveal himself to her before she departs. 
" But the scene is sometimes different. I saw a 
young woman die the last week. I had been often 
with her ; but the night she was removed, she could 
only say, '0, I cannot live ! I cannot live !' She 
repeated this mournful complaint as long as she 
could speak ; for, as the vital powers were more 
oppressed, her voice changed into groans ; her 
groans grew fainter and fainter, and in about a 
quarter of an hour after she had done speaking 
she expired. ' Poor creature ! ' said I to myself, as 
I stood by her bedside, ' if you were a duchess in 
this situation, what could the world do for you 
now 1 ' I thought, likewise, how many things 
there are that now give us pleasure or pain, and 
assume a mighty importance in our view, which, 
in a dying hour, will be no more to us than the 
clouds that fly unnoticed over our heads. Then 
the truth of our Lord's declaration will be seen, 
and felt, and acknowledged : ' One thing is need- 
ful.' And we shall be ready to apply Grotius's 
dying confession to a great part of our lives — ' Ah ! 
I have consumed my time in laboriously doing 
nothing.' " 



MISCELLANEOUS. 261 



BENEFITS OF A SAVIOR. 



OUR Savior has taken away the sting of death ; 
he hath delivered us from the power of Satan, 
and from the dominion of sin : he has borne the 
punishment of our guilt ; has expiated the sentence ; 
so that now, in the consciousness of the glorious 
privilege we enjoy, we can serve God without fear, 
in righteousness and holiness all our days. And 
not only has he cancelled the guilt of sin, but he 
has destroyed its power : he reigns in the heart of 
the believer ; he cleanses it of its corruptions ; he 
brings the whole man under a thorough process of 
sanctification ; so that while he lives he adds one 
Christian grace to another; when he dies he re- 
joices in the hope of the coming glory ; when he 
stands at the bar of judgment, he is presented holy 
and unblamable in the sight of God, and of his 
Savior. 

This is no matter of idle declamation. There is 
many a Christian who could give you experience 
for it. He can take you to the house of mourning 
— to the chamber of the dying man. He can draw 
aside the curtain which covers the last hours of the 
good man's existence, and show you how a good 
man can die. He can ask you to bend your ear, 
and catch the last faltering accents of praise and 
piety. "What meaneth that joy, in the midst of 
suffering ? that hope, in the midst of approaching 
dissolution 1 that elevation, amidst the severest 
agonies ? It is not his own merit that sustains 
him ; it is the merit of the exalted Savior. It is a 
hope of being found in Christ, and a sense of the 
forgiveness which he hath received at his hand. 
In a word, it is Christ who resolves the mystery 5 



262 MISCELLANEOUS. 

it is his presence that pours tranquillity and joy 
among such scenes of distress ; it is he who dis- 
penses fortitude to the dying man, and while joy 
beams upon his countenance, though relatives and 
friends are weeping around him, he is able to leave 
them all with this exulting testimony, " death, 
where is thy sting? grave, where is thy vic- 
tory?" 

"the resurrection and the life." 

niHE " Resurrection and the Life ! " These 
J- are thy magnificent titles, Captain of our Sal- 
vation ! And therefore we commit to thee body 
and soul, for thou hast redeemed both, and thou 
wilt advance both to the noblest and most splendid 
of portions. Who quails and shrinks, scared by 
the despotism of death ? Who fears the dashing 
of those cold, black waters which roll between us 
and the promised land ? Men and brethren ! grasp 
your own privileges. Men and brethren ! Christ 
Jesus has " abolished death : " will ye by your 
fearfulness throw strength into the skeleton, and 
give back empire to the dethroned and the de- 
stroyed ? Yes ! <: the Resurrection and the Life " 
abolished death. Ye must indeed die ; and so far 
death remains undestroyed. But if the terrible be 
destroyed when it can no longer terrify, if the 
enemy be abolished when it does the work of a 
friend, and if the tyrant be abolished when per- 
forming the offices of a servant, then is death de- 
stroyed, then is death abolished to all who are 
interested in Him who is the " Resurrection and 
the Life," and the noble prophecy is fulfilled, " O 
death, I will be thy plagues ! grave, I will be thy 
destruction ! " 



MISCELLANEOUS. 263 

" I HEARD A VOICE FROM HEAVEN." for an 

angel's tongue, that words so beautiful might have 
all their melodiousness, saying, Write, " Blessed 

ARE THE DEAD WHO DIE IN THE LORD," &C. It 

is yet a little while and we shall be delivered from 
the burden and the conflict, and, with all those who 
have preceded us in the struggle, enjoy the deep 
raptures of a Mediator's presence. Then, reunited 
to the friends with whom we took sweet counsel 
upon earth, we shall recount our toil only to 
heighten our ecstasy, only that with a richer song 
we may feel and celebrate the wonders of redemp- 
tion. And when the morn of the first resurrection 
breaks upon this groaning creation, then shall these 
comfortable words of Holy Writ be understood in 
all their majesty and in all their marvel ; and then 
shall the words, too, whose syllables mingle so 
often with the funeral knell, that we are disposed 
to carve them on the cypress tree, rather than on 
the palm, " I am the Resurrection and the Life," 
form the chorus of that noble anthem which those 
for whom Christ died, and rose, and revived, shall 
chant as they march from judgment to glory. 

DEATH NOT DREADED BT THE CHRISTIAN. 

SHALL the believer in Christ Jesus be appalled 
at death ? Does he not know Christ as having 
ransomed the souls of his people, washed them in 
his blood, and covered them with his righteousness ? 
Has he not found a witness in himself, that precious 
is his soul in the sight of the Redeemer 1 What 
then 1 Shall he be otherwise than persuaded that 
Christ will watch over the soul at the instant of 
separation from the body, and send a legion of 
bright angels to convey the spirit to himself? 



264 MISCELLANEOUS. 

Then, safely lodged in paradise, the soul shall 
await reunion with the body, unspeakably, though 
not completely blessed. To all this he knows that 
Christ is pledged, and therefore he commits his soul 
to him in confidence, persuaded that he is able to 
keep that which he hath committed unto him 
against that day. And not his soul only, but his 
body also, he commits to his custody. Though 
the winds may disperse, the waters ingulf, or the 
fires rarefy the atoms which make up his frame, yet 
he " knows that his Redeemer liveth ; and that 
though after his skin worms destroy his body, yet 
in his flesh shall he see God." In this confidence 
he resigns himself entirely into the hands of Christ, 
and looks forward without dread to the hour of his 
departure, assured that those black, cold waters, 
which roll in upon the dying, shall sweep nothing 
away out of the watchfulness of his Guardian ; but 
just bearing him within the sphere of his peculiar 
inspections, give him up to his care as a child of 
the resurrection, — as heir of that inheritance 
which is incorruptible and undefiled. 

HEAVEN OPENED. 

fllHE curtain which overspreads the invisible world 
J- is at length drawn aside, and we behold our 
great High Priest entered " into heaven, there to 
appear in the presence of God for us." We bear 
the songs of the redeemed, expressive of their 
gratitude to Him who loved them, and washed them 
from their sins in his own blood, and hath made 
them " kings and priests to God." We see our 
friends in Jesus, from time to time, leaving this 
world, to join that blessed assembly above. We 
hear the voice of their Savior encouraging us " not 



MISCELLANEOUS. 265 

to sorrow as those who have no hope." assuring 
ns that we shall meet them again in glory. We 
are assured that the sickness which has deprived 
us of the society of our beloved Christian friends 
is not unto death, but for the glory of God ; that 
the Son of God may be glorified thereby ; that be- 
lievers, when absent from the body, are present 
with the Lord; that, when committing their re- 
mains to the dust, we are sowing the seed of a glo- 
rious harvest ; and that our sorrow shall ere long 
be turned into joy. Such is the strong consolation, 
under all the sorrows of life, which God has given 
to those " who have fled for refuge to lay hold of 
the hope set before them." " Weeping may endure 
for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." To 
believers it shall be a morning without clouds, " for 
the Lord will be their everlasting light, and 
days of their mourning shall be ended!" 

RECOGNITION IN HEAVEN. 

OF all the afflictions to which we are liable, there 
is none so painful as the death of our friends. 
And 0, what a consoling balm is the doctrine that 
we shall, in the realms above, be restored to their 
fellowship ! This doctrine is involved in many 
passages of Scripture ; in the account of the last 
judgment ; in the language of David on occasion 
of the death of his child : in the parable of the rich 
man and Lazarus ; in the consolation which our 
Savior gives to the penitent sinner on the cross ; 
in the assurance administered by St. Paul to the 
Thessalonian believers, that they should be his joy 
and crown of rejoicing in the presence of our Lord 
Jesus Christ at his coming ; and in the same apos- 
tle, forbidding them to sorrow for such as had fallen 



266 MISCELLANEOUS. 

asleep, as though they had no hope of being united 
with them, and of being together with the Lord ; 
and in the general use which the sacred writers 
make of the word sleep for death, a simile which 
would be flagrantly incorrect, if our recollections, 
our friendships and affections, were not renewed in 
a future state. And, in general, the same doctrine 
is taught also through the whole book of the Rev- 
elation of St. John. Happy prospect, that exalts 
friendship into religion ! What blessed society there 
will be above ! 

Apostles, martyrs, prophets there 

Around the Savior stand ; 
And soon our friends in Christ below 

Will join the glorious band. 



SENT ENJOYMENT AND FUTURE PROSPECTS 
OP THE CHRISTIAN. 

O WEET is the privilege of prayer, 
^ To bow before a throne of grace j 
To leave our every burden there, 

And gain new strength to run our race ; 
To gird our heavenly armor on, 
Depending on the Lord alone ! 

And sweet the whisper of his love, 
When conscience sinks beneath its load ; 

That bids our guilty fears remove, 
And points to Christ's atoning blood. 

0, then 'tis sweet indeed to know 

God can be just and gracious too. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 267 

Sweet is the peace that Jesus gives, 
When all around is dressed in gloom ; 

'Tis sweet to know the Savior lives 
When friends are hurried to the tomb, 

And those we love are snatched away, 

Like flowers that wither in a day. 

And O, 'tis sweet, when we begin 
To find this earthly house give way, 

To feel a principle within, 
Rising superior to decay ! — 

A hope implanted in the breast, 

Bright foretaste of eternal rest ! 

But to behold ImmanueVs face, 
From sin and sorrow to be freed, 

To dwell in his divine embrace, 
This will be sweeter far indeed. 

The fairest form of earthly bliss 

Is less than nought, compared with this. 

And yet, through free and sovereign grace, 
I hope ere long those joys to share ; 

Before the throne to find a place, 
That bright, unfading crown to wear, 

And join the ransomed choir above, 

To celebrate redeeming love. 



268 MISCELLANEOUS. 



DEATH OF AN AGED BELIEVER. 

THERE is not a more sublime and interesting 
spectacle than the death bed of an aged and 
consistent believer. It is exceedingly interesting 
to listen to his last conversations, and to mark the 
heavenly aspect of his countenance ; it is pleasing 
to perceive with what tranquil and fearless com- 
posure he sinks to the rest for which he has been 
prepared by the influence of a lively faith, and by 
a course of uniform and exemplary godliness ; and 
while contemplating such a scene, it is almost im- 
possible not to compare it with the glorious sunset 
of an autumnal evening. The light of Christian 
experience and character, reflected by the venerable 
saint as he approaches the close of his career, 
seems to throw back a hallowed radiance upon all 
its preceding stages; a hope full of immortality 
triumphs over every doubt, and puts to flight every 
fearful apprehension, whereby his soul may have 
aforetime been beclouded, his enjoyments inter- 
rupted, or his usefulness in any measure counter- 
acted. The felt presence of a divine Redeemer 
gives energy and animation to his voice, imparts a 
more than mortal lustre to his eye, and gilds the 
chamber where he languishes with the glories of a 
better world ; and, in proportion as he nears the 
moment of departure, his moral greatness becomes 
an increasingly apparent evidence that all is well 
with him ; for eternity grows brighter and brighter, 
the spirit of the gospel expands and diffuses itself 
through all the faculties and affections of his mind, 
so as it has never done before ; and a conviction 
of the divinity of his principles, the safety of his 
state, and the grandeur of his prospects gets to be 



MI8CELLANEOU8. 269 

more and more impressive and absorbing, till at 
length all present are prompted to exclaim, " Mark 
the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end 
of that man is peace ; " or to ejaculate the fervent 
prayer, " Let us die the death of the righteous, and 
let our last end be like his/' 

How blest the righteous when they die, 

When holy souls retire to rest ! 
How mildly beams the closing eye ! 

How gently heaves th' expiring breast ! 

So fades a summer cloud away, 

So sinks the gale when storms are o'er, 

So gently shuts the eye of day, 
So dies a wave along the shore. 

Farewell, conflicting hopes and fears, 
Where lights and shades alternate dwell ; 

How bright the unchanging morn appears ! 
Farewell, inconstant world, farewell. 



DEATH THE PATH TO GLORY. 

DEATH to a good man is but passing through a 
dark entry, out of a little room of his Father's 
house, into another that is blissful and glorious. 
0, may the rays and splendors of my heavenly 
apartment shoot far downward, and gild the dark 
entry with such a cheerful gleam as to banish every 
fear when I shall be called to pass through. 



270 MISCELLANEOUS. 



THE DEAD. 



THE dead are like the stars by day, 
Withdrawn from mortal eye, 
But not extinct : they hold their way 

In glory through the sky. 
Spirits from bondage thus set free 
Vanish amidst immensity. 

They are in glory, they are with Christ, they are 
separated forever from all the temptations and 
trials of this mortal scene. They arrive at home — 
at their Father's house ; and with angels and all 
the company of the beatified, partake of the ful- 
ness of pleasures which are at his right hand for- 
evermore. 

Mortals cry, A man is dead. 
Angels sing, A child is born — 
Born into the world above. 

They our happy brother greet, 
Bear him to the throne of love, 

Place him at the Savior's feet. 



PERSONS SERIOUSLY ILL SHOULD BE MADE 
ACQUAINTED WITH THEIR CONDITION. 

A DYING fellow-creature should never be kept 
in the dark when his approaching end is draw- 
ing near. Relatives and friends should not attempt 
to comfort and soothe him, by endeavoring to per- 
suade him there is no danger, when it really exists ; 
but prove their real love and sincerity, by studying 
every means by which they can remove the fear of 
death, and lay before him God's exceeding great 
and precious promises. In communicating the fact 



MISCELLANEOUS. 271 

to him, all unnecessary alarm should be avoided, 
and the fact disclosed by bis nearest relatives, in 
the most kind, tender, and gradual manner, so as 
not to create terror, or to occasion hopelessness 
and despair ; as in certain diseases the most serious 
and injurious effects are produced, and the only 
hope of recovery lost. 

DEATH OP THE RIGHTEOUS. 

THE sinner, in the season of health, looks upon 
futurity with a tranquil eye ; but in the last mo- 
ments of "his life, when he contemplates it more 
closely, his calmness is changed into faintness and 
terror. 

The just man, on the contrary, during the days 
of his mortal life did not dare to look with a fixed 
eye upon the depths of God's judgments. He 
worked out his salvation with fear and trembling. 
He shuddered at the bare thought of that awful 
futurity, in which, even the righteous, if they were 
judged without mercy, could scarcely be saved. 
But on the bed of death the God of peace is pres- 
ent with him, and calms his agitation. His terrors 
instantaneously cease, and are changed into a de- 
lightful hope. He already pierces, with expiring 
eyes, through the cloud of mortality which sur- 
rounds him, and beholds, like Stephen, the bosom 
of glory, and the Son of man at the right hand of 
his Father, ready to receive him ; that immortal 
country after which he had so long sighed, and 
where in spirit he had always dwelt ; that holy 
Zion, which the God of his fathers fills with his 
glory and his presence ; where he overwhelms his 
chosen servants with the torrent of his pleasures, 
and daily imparts to them those incomprehensible 



272 MISCELLANEOUS. 

blessings which he hath prepared for them who 
love him ; that city of the people of God, the abode 
of his saints, the dwelling-place of prophets, and 
just men made perfect, where he will once more 
find his brethren, whom charity had united to him 
on earth, and with whom he will eternally bless 
the mercy of the Lord and sing the praises of his 
grace. 

With what joy, then, does he listen to the minis- 
ters of the church, when they say to him, " Depart, 
Christian soul ; go forth from this land where you 
have so long been a strauger and a captive ; the 
time of your tribulations and trials is ended. Be- 
hold at length the righteous Judge, who comes to 
break the chains which bind you to mortality. Re- 
turn to the bosom of that God from which you 
sprung. " Depart, faithful servant of the Lord ; 
you are about to be united to the church of heav- 
en, which awaits your coming." 

Those do not perish who sleep in the Lord. "We 
lose you on earth only to find you again in a very 
short time with Jesus Christ in the kingdom of 
heaven ; the body which is about to be consigned 
to the earth will soon follow you in incorruption 
and glory ; not a hair of your head shall perish ; 
there will remain in your ashes the seeds of im- 
mortality, until the day of revelation, when your 
dry bones will be reanimated, and appear brighter 
than light. What happiness for you to be freed 
from all the miseries with which we still continue 
to be afflicted ; to be no longer exposed, like your 
brethren, to lose the favor of God, which you now 
possess ; to close your eyes at last to all the scan- 
dals which grieve us, to the vanity which seduces 
us, to the example which leads us astray, to the 
attachments which divide our affections, to the 



MISCELLANEOUS. 273 

agitations which distract our minds ! What hap- 
piness to depart at length from a place where every 
thing wearies, and every thing pollutes us; and to 
go to an abode of peace, serenity, and gladness, 
where there is no other occupation hut to enjoy the 
God whom we love 1 



ADVANTAGES OF THE CHRISTIAN IN HIS DYING 
HOUR. 

WHAT a different aspect does death and the 
grave wear to the Christian, and to him who 
is without hope — the poor heathen man ! O, what 
would many a good heathen have given to have 
had the privilege which we possess of looking into 
the glorious redemption of Jesus Christ, which tells 
us of a new heaven and a new earth, wherein 
dwelleth righteousness ! Before life and immor- 
tality were brought to light by Christ, death was 
emphatically " the king of terrors," and the grave 
a place of hopeless annihilation. When any loved 
one died, they knew not where he had gone. No 
light from the spiritual world had visited their eyes ; 
no glad tidings of hope and joy, of salvation "and 
peace, had been announced to their ears. They 
were as those without hope ; for they saw not, 
through the bright visions of faith, the gate of 
heaven opened, and Jesus standing at the right 
hand of God, ready to receive the spirit of their 
departing brother into joy and felicity. 

Often has faith been seen prevailing over nature, 
and hope triumphing over the fear of death. Often 
has been witnessed that glorious sight, when death 
is seen to be reft of its sting, and the grave of his 
victory ; when the brightest temporal hopes, and 
the richest temporal blessings, are resigned without 
a sigh and without a murmur. 
18 



274 MISCELLANEOUS. 

There has been seen the faded countenance pale 
and deathlike, and the body shattered and emaci- 
ated, but the spirit within lighted up with the beams 
of immortality. There has been seen, too, the 
young, fair as the lily and lovely as the rose, called 
from the gay and active scenes of life, to languish 
and to fade on the couch of death, ready, with a 
meek and contented heart, to relinquish all, that 
she might breathe out her parting spirit with a 
calm and happy confidence into the hands of a 
faithful Savior. No spectacle can be a more joyous 
one, and no privilege a dearer one to a child of 
God, than to see a dying Christian thus serene and 
tranquil amid the desolation of every hope and the 
ruin of every earthly joy, thus reposing her soul, 
with a look of heavenly sweetness, on the bosom 
of her God, simply trusting in the merits of Him 
in whom she had believed; preferring rather to 
depart, and be with Christ, than to enjoy the pleas- 
ures of sin for a season. 

Beautifully do the following lines express the 
sentiments of such a one. 

" Though in the paths of death I tread, 
With gloomy horrors overspread, 
My steadfast heart shall fear no ill, 
For thou, Lord, art with me still. 
Thy friendly crook shall give me aid, 
And guide me through the dreadful shade." 

To what higher source of hope can the troubled 
spirit look in the last hour of darkness and distress 1 
On what more dear and beloved object can he fix 
his longing eyes than on Him who has already 
traversed the gloomy abodes of death and the 
grave, and reached the glorious mansions beyond 
them, and who, like a kind protector, has prom- 



MISCELLANEOUS. 275 

ised to convey him safely thither, so that he need 
fear no evil in passing through those untried do- 
minions, of which he has become the Lord and 
Master ? Now, in this solitary and dreary walk 
through the dark chambers of death and the grave, 
the Christian has the presence and aid of his dear 
lledeemer. His eye is steadfastly fixed upon the 
dying saint, and his arm stretched forth to uphold 
and support him. Yes, Christ is standing at the 
gate ready to deliver him from the miseries of this 
sinful world, and to take him to that rest which re- 
maineth for his people — ready to conduct him to 
his fellow-sufferers, who have " come out of great 
tribulation, and have washed their robes and made 
them white in the blood of the Lamb." " They 
shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; 
neither shall the sun light on them, nor any 
heat, for the Lamb which is in the midst of the 
throne shall feed them, and shall lead them to 
living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away 
all tears from their eyes." 

DEPARTED FRIENDS. 

OUR friends who have left us — where are they ? 
We are sure that to them, to whom to live it 
was Christ, to die will be gain. Where are they 1 
They are where they are perpetually and perfectly 
blessed, in the immediate vision and enjoyment of 
God, within the veil, infinitely more happy where 
they are than where they were. Where are they ? 
Why, they are in the mansions of light and bliss, 
that are in our Father's house above ; in the para- 
dise of God, where they hunger no more, nor thirst 
any more. They are in the best company, em- 
ployed in the best works, and enjoying a complete 



276 MISCELLANEOUS. 

satisfaction. Where are they ? Why, they are 
where there are no complaints ; nothing to inter- 
rupt their communion with God, or to cast a damp 
upon their spirits. Death has done that for them 
which ordinances could not do ; has perfectly freed 
them from that body of sin and death, which was 
here their constant burden, and hath set them for- 
ever out of the reach of temptation. The spirits 
of the just are there made perfect beyond the per- 
fection of Adam in innocency, for they are immu- 
tably confirmed in it. Where are they? Why, 
they are where they would be, in their centre, in 
their element. They are where they longed to be, 
in that blessed state, towards which, while they 
were here, they were still reaching forth and press- 
ing forward. 

THE LAND OF THE BLEST. 

1 f\ WHEN the hours of life are past, 
^ And death's dark shade arrives at last, 
It is not sleep, it is not death, 
'Tis glory opening to the blest. 

2 There parted hearts again shall meet 
In union holy, calm, and sweet ; 
There grief find rest, and nevermore 
Shall sorrow call them to deplore. 

3 The gate of heaven — there, saved from sin, 
Will Christ receive his ransomed in, 
And each adorned with robes of light, 
Like his, divinely fair and bright. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 277 

4 And there in songs of endless praise, 
With angels bright, their voices raise, 
Where light shall beam from every crown, 
As suns that nevermore go down. 

5 No storm shall ride the troubled air, 
No voice of passion enter there ; 
But all be peaceful as the sigh 

Of evening winds, that gently die. 

6 For there the God of mercy sheds 

' His purest influence on their heads ; 
And gilds the spirits round the throne 
With glory radiant as his own. 

DEATH OF AN ONLY SON. 

I SINCERELY sympathize with you (says Dr. 
Erskine, in a letter to a friend) on your heavy 
and unexpected trial. I have drank deep of the 
same cup : of nine sons, only one survives. From 
what I repeatedly felt, I can form an idea what you 
must feel in having so promising an only son taken 
from you. I cannot, I dare not say, " "Weep not." 
Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus, and surely he 
allows you to weep ; surely there is a " need be " 
that you feel heaviness under such a trial. But 0, 
let hope and joy mitigate your heaviness. I know 
not how this, or a former trial, shall work together 
for your good ; but it is enough that God knows. 
He who hath said, "All things shall work together 
for good to them that love God," excepts not from 



278 MISCELLANEOUS. 

this promise the sorest trial. You devoted your son 
to God ; you cannot doubt that he accepted the sur- 
render. If he has been hid in the chambers of the 
grave from the evil of sin, and from the evil of 
suffering, let not your eye be evil when God is 
good. What you chiefly wished for him, and 
prayed for on his behalf, was spiritual and heavenly 
blessings. If the greatest thing you wished for is 
accomplished at the season and in the manner in- 
finite wisdom saw best, refuse not to be comforted ; 
you know not what work and joy have been wait- 
ing for him in that world where " God's servants 
shall serve him." 

Should you sorrow immoderately, when you 
have such ground of hope that he and his other 
parent are rejoicing in what you lament ? I know 
that nature will feel ; and I know that suppressing 
its emotions, in such cases, is not profitable either 
for soul or body; but I trust that, though you 
mourn, God will keep you from murmui-ing, and 
that you shall have to glory in your tribulation, 
while the power of Christ is manifested thereby. 

Read the 124th Hymn, "Hear what the voice 
from heaven declares." 

Read the 125th Hymn, " When those we love 
are snatched away." 



THE DEAD IN CHRIST. 
By Bishop Doane. 

T IFT not thou the wailing voice ; 
Weep not, 'tis a Christian dieth j 



Up, where blessed saints rejoice, 
Ransomed now, the spirit flieth. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 279 

High in heaven's own light he dwelleth ; 
Full the song of triumph swelleth ; 
Freed from earth, and earthly failing, 
Lift for him no voice of wailing ! 

Pour not thou the bitter tear ! 

Heaven its book of comfort op'neth, 
Bids thee sorrow not, nor fear, 

But as one who always hopeth. 
Humbly here in faith relying, 
Peacefully in Jesus dying ; 
Heavenly joy his eye is flushing, — 
Why should thine with tears be gushing ! 

They who die in Christ are blest, — 
Ours be then no thought of grieving : 

Sweetly with their God they rest ; 
All their toils and troubles leaving. 

So be ours the faith that saveth ; 

Hope, that every trial braveth ; 

Love, that to the end endureth, 

And through Christ the crown secureth. 

ON THE LOSS OF A CHILD. 

SINCERELY sympathize with you on the loss 
of your child ; but do not suffer your spirits to 
sink. Remember the tenure on which all human 
enjoyments are held, the wisdom and sovereignty 
of their great Author, and the gracious promises 
afforded to true Christians, that " All things 



I 



280 MISCELLANEOUS. 

shall work together for good to them that love 
God." 

Remember, also, the many blessings which a 
kind Providence still allows you. Ought you not 
to rejoice that your affectionate companion in life 
is spared, and that though your child is snatched 
from your embraces, he has escaped from a world 
of sin and sorrow ? The stamp of immortality is 
placed on his happiness, and he is encircled by the 
arms of his compassionate Redeemer. Had he 
been permitted to live, and you had witnessed the 
loss of his virtue, you might have been reserved to 
suffer still severer pangs. A most excellent family 
in our congregation are now melancholy specta- 
tors of a son dying at nineteen years of age, a vic- 
tim to his vices. They have frequently regretted 
he did not die several years since, when his life 
was nearly despaired of in a severe fever. " Who 
knoweth what is good for man all the days of his 
vain life, which he spends as a shadow ? " 

Read the 127th Hymn, "As the sweet flower 
that scents the morn." 



DEATH OF AN INFANT. 

TT ARK ! how the angels, as they fly, 
•*--*• Sing through the region of the sky, 
Bearing an infant in their arms, 



Securely freed from sin's alarms ! 

" Welcome, dear babe, to Jesus' breast, 
Forever there in joy to rest ; 
Welcome to Jesus' courts above, 
To sing the great Redeemer's love. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 281 

" We left the heavens and flew to earth, 
To watch thee at thy mortal hirth ; 
Obedient to thy Savior's will, 
We staid to love and guard thee still. 

" We, thy protecting angels, came 
To see thee blessed in Jesus' name ; 
When the baptismal seal was given, 
To mark thee, child, an heir of heaven. 



" When the resistless call of death 
Bade thee resign thy infant breath, — 
When parents wept, and thou didst smile, — 
We were thy guardians all the while. 

" Now with the lightning's speed we bear 
The child committed to our care : 
With anthems such as angels sing 
We fly to bear thee to our King." 

Thus sweetly borne, he flies to rest ; 
We know 'tis well — nay, more, 'tis best ; 
When we our pilgrim's path have trod, 
O, may we find him with our God ! 

ON THE LOSS OF A WIFE. 

I HAVE just been informed of the loss of your 
dear wife. She was mortal, but she is now be- 
come immortal. Should this cause you to grieve 
immoderately % that I was where she is now ! — 



282 MISCELLANEOUS. 

" Safe landed on that peaceful shore, 
Where pilgrims meet to part no more." 

She was once a mourning sinner in the wil- 
derness, but is now a glorified saint in Zion. The 
Lord has become her everlasting light, and the 
u days of her mourning are ended." Does this 
overwhelm you ? She was once afflicted with 
bodily pains and weakness, encompassed with fam- 
ily cares, and harassed with a crowd of anxious, 
needless fears; but she is now at her Father's 
house, and Jesus has wiped away all tears from her 
eyes, and freed her in a moment from pain, and 
care, and fear, and want ; and shall this make you 
sorrow as those who have no hope ? 

You have not left your wife ; she has only left 
you for a little moment, — left her husband on earth, 
to visit her Father in heaven, — and expects your 
arrival there soon, to join her hallelujahs for re- 
deeming love. And are you still weeping ? weep- 
ing because your wife can weep no more ! weeping 
because she is happy ! eternally, gloriously happy ! 
weeping because she is joined to the blessed assem- 
bly, where all are kings and priests ! weeping be- 
cause she is where she would be, and where she 
longed to be, eternally! The Lord Jesus has 
called her home to his kingdom, to draw your 
soul more ardently thither; he has broken up a 
cistern to bring you nearer, and keep you closer, 
to the overflowing fountain of all felicity. 

'Tis finished ! the conflict is passed, 

The heaven-born spirit is fled ; 
Her wish is accomplished at last, 

And now she's intombed with the dead. 
The months of affliction are o'er, 

The days and nights of distress ; 



MISCELLANEOUS. 283 

We see her in anguish no more — 
She has found a happy release. 

No sickness, or sorrow, or pain, 

Shall ever disquiet her now j 
For death to her spirit was gain — 

Since Christ was her life when below. 
Her soul has now taken its flight 

To mansions of glory above, 
To mingle with angels of light, 

And dwell in the kingdom of love. 

The victory now Is obtained ; 

She has gone her dear Savior to see ; 
Her wishes she fully has gained — 

She's now where she long&d to be. 
Then let us forbear to complain 

That she has now gone from our sight j 
We soon shall behold her again, 

With new and redoubled delight 

DEATH OF FRIENDS. 

FRIEND after friend departs ! 
Who hath not lost a friend ? 
There is no union here of hearts 

That finds not here an end. 
Were this frail world our final rest, 
Living or dying, none were blest 

Beyond the flight of time, 
Beyond the reign of death, 

There surely is some blessed clime 
Where life is not a breath, 



284 MISCELLANEOUS 

Nor life's affections transient fire, 
Whose sparks fly upward and expire- 
There is a world above, 

Where parting is unknown — 
A long eternity of love, 

Formed for the good alone. 
And faith beholds the dying here 
Translated to that glorious sphere. 

Thus star by star declines, 

Till all are passed away j 
And morning high and higher shines, 

To pure and perfect day. 
Nor sink those stars in empty night, 
But hide themselves in heaven's own light 

HAPPINESS OF HEATEN. 

ALL the religious experience of earth affords but 
a faint emblem of the bliss of heaven. The 
delight that Christians now experience kindles into 
rapture at the thought of the richer delight that 
awaits them above. Among the children of God 
in heaven, (all happy,) the degree of happiness 
may vary, for it depends on the capacity of enjoy- 
ment possessed by each ; and this, again, upon im- 
provement of character, and of talent, and of trust ; 
and, therefore, they who have prepared most for 
heaven will be most happy in heaven. Saints in. 
heaven are perfectly happy, because perfectly holy. 
Here they taste of the streams that flow from the 
infinite fulness of their Father and their God; 



MISCELLANEOUS. 285 

there they will have come to the fountain itself. 
Have they here received, now and then, a buncli 
of grapes from the better Canaan ? there they will 
have free and full access to the tree of life that is 
in the paradise of God. Here they have many a 
troubled, many a stormy, and many a cloudy day ; 
there every storm and peril is past ; and having 
entered through the gates, into the city, all is peace, 
triumph, and perfection. There they shall have 
everlasting joy and gladness ; and sorrow and 
sighing, and clouds and shadows, having forever 
fled away, they shall abide under a cloudless sky 
in regions of eternal bliss. If every step here is 
through a vale of tears, there it is through a land 
of pure delights. In the house of their Father 
above they shall hunger no more, nor thirst any 
more ; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any 
heat. And if any recollection of former sufferings 
remain, it will only serve to enhance their enjoy- 
ment and augment their wonder, as they view the 
intricate mazes through which divine wisdom con- 
ducted them. Our happiness will be made com- 
plete by beholding the brightness of the Father's 
glory, in the vision of which we shall rejoice with 
joy unspeakable and full of glory, by the preseuce 
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Yes, there 
we shall see the Savior — our Friend, our Priest, 
our Sacrifice, our AIL There we shall love him 
in return for all his infinite love, and bless and 
worship him with a growing adoration and dilating 
gratitude forever and ever. It will indeed be 
heaven to see him as he is, and love with a passion 
like his. O, that exquisiteness of joy J those gushes 
of pure, perennial bliss, which the saints will ex- 
perience in singing praises and songs of deliver- 
ance to God and the Lamb forever J O, what 



286 MISCELLANEOUS. 

rapture, to be engaged in penetrating the mysteries 
of Providence, in listening to the music of the 
spheres, and the jubilee of the universe ; in gazing 
with untold ecstasy on the face of God and the 
Lamb, and deriving from Him, who is the sea of 
light and love, fulness of joy and pleasures for- 
evermore I But eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
neither hath it entered into the heart of man to 
conceive, what God hath laid up for them who love 
him. 

Read the 199th Hymn, " There is a land of pure 
delight." 

Read the 28th Hymn. " With joy shall I behold 
the day ' 



T IGHT, peace, and joy, and righteousness, 
-*-' Are there in sinners seen, 
Washed in the Savior's precious blood, 
Holy, pure, and clean. 

Who would not be with Christ, the Lord, 

Victorious over sin ? 
Who would not leave all here to dwell 

In bliss — in heaven with him ? 



O, fit me for that brighter world, 
Unworthy though I be ; 

Yet never was that one cast out 
Who came by faith to thee. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 287 



ETERNITY. 



ETERNITY is the brightest jewel in the tri- 
umphant believer's crown. Eternity makes 
heaven a heaven indeed. If the Christian's life 
here, instead of being crowned with numerous 
blessings, were but one scene of distress, yet with 
eternal life as his portion, how short would be the 
sorrow ! how long, how lasting the joy ! how short 
the pain ! how endless the delight ! how few the 
moments of grief and conflict ! how many the ages 
of triumph and bliss \ Earth you cannot have 
long, but heaven you may have forever. Here you 
cannot long enjoy even the poor fading pleasures 
of time, but there you may possess a whole eter- 
nity of blessedness. How blissful the thought of 
eternity must be to those happy spirits that have 
entered " the heavenly rest ; ' ! — u this pure, un- 
bounded happiness, this world of bliss, and light, 
and joy forever " ! Infinite ages shall roll away, 
vast eternity still glide along ; but not one sorrow 
will they know, not one sigh will escape their 
hearts, not one tear drop from their eyes, not one 
joy will they lose, not one passing cloud will bedim 
their day. In Emanuel's land will they ever 
dwell ; still will they enjoy the blessings of their 
Father's love and of their Redeemer's favor in the 
highest perfection, nor ever fear the loss of what 
they have. Eternity is the measure of their 
bliss. And what is eternity ! Who can describe 
it? who can comprehend it? None. Were the 
house you inhabit to be filled with the finest sand, 
and then emptied so slowly that but the smallest 
grain should be taken out once in ten thousand years, 
how many millions of ages would pass away before 



288 MISCELLANEOUS. 

the last grain were removed ! Yet, compared with 
eternity, those countless years would be like the 
twinkling of an eye. Again : were the mighty 
seas, which dash their waves upon so many shores, 
to be suddenly changed into one mass of ink, and 
then to be employed in numbering down figures, 
and the least figure to signify a million of years, 
what countless ages would be numbered down be- 
fore the seas were emptied ! yet he who wrote the 
last figure might say, " These ages are not eternity ; 
they are nothingness itself compared with that — 
less than one drop to all the sea, less than one mo- 
ment to all those infinite years ; they are like a 
tale that is told, or a sigh that is forgotten. Once 
more : were this vast world one mass of sand, and 
were God to create as many worlds as there might 
he grains of sand in this, and were he then to com- 
mission an angel to destroy them all by removing 
grain after grain, yet so slowly that he should re- 
move but one grain in a million of years, what 
millions, and millions, and millions of years, be- 
yond all thought and conception, would pass away 
before one world was thus destroyed ! and O, how 
many, before all these numbers were J What an 
eternity would be here ! An eternity ? No, not a 
moment compared with it. Sand after sand would 
be removed, though at so infinitely slow a rate } 
world after world would be destroyed, and the an- 
gel would finish his task — but finish not eternity. 
Eternity would be eternity still. One grain of sand 
would bear some proportion to these numberless 
worlds, one moment to these countless millions of 
ages, but all these would bear none to eternity j 
when they were past, it would still be " beginning, 
rather than beginning to begin." And had we lived 
through these inconceivably countless years, when 



MISCELLANEOUS. 289 

we had seen them pass, and even pass a thousand 
years over, we might still say. i: But a moment of 
eternity is passed." Beyond ages that we might 
almost deem an eternity, other eternities would rise 
in endless succession/ Such is the "forever" of 
heaven. And this eternity is yours, and it is mine ; 
and in this we must live cither in happiness or 
misery. 

Be this, then, our great business here, 
"With holy trembling, holy fear, 

To make our calling sure, 
God's utmost counsel to fulfil, 
And suffer all his righteous will, 

And to the end endure. 

Thus doing, we shall be received into heaven 
with the glorious testimony of our Lord, (; Well 

DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT; ENTER 
INTO THE JOY OF THE LORD." 
19 



290 MISCELLANEOUS. 

THB HOLY CITY. 

ORIGINAL. 

Rev. xxi. 11-27. 
TTOLYcity, endless glory 
•^ Floods thy courts with heavenly light, 
Far above the glittering crystal, 

Dazzling stones, or suns more bright. 
Lofty walls of polished jasper, 

Gates of solid pearl, arc thine ; 
Streets of gold, as glass transparent, 

God the temple and the shrine. 
There the saved of all the nations 

Shall in bliss forever dwell ; 
Kings to it shall bring their glory, 

And its honor nations tell. 
In the book of life, the written, 

Saved through Christ, as heirs shall come, 
Ever blessed of the Father, 

Welcomed to their glorious home. 

Holy Father, wilt thou hearken ? 

Answer to thy children's prayer : 
By the cress of our dear Savior, 

By the ransom purchased there, 
By thine own forgiving mercy, 

Pardoned, blessed, O f do thou bring 
Us all to thy holy city, 

There to praise thee, God and King. 



Sljijirnhi. 



As this book may be extensively used by Sun- 
day school teachers, and as the subject of baptism 
is one (especially in country Sunday schools) in 
reference to which very unscriptural notions are 
entertained, the author lias thought proper to ap- 
pend here the following short Address on the sub- 
ject, written and delivered by himself, some years 
ago, to the school under his charge. The poetical 
address, that follows, is from the pen of an Eng- 
lish lady, and is very beautiful and appropriate. 



AN ADDRESS TO SUNDAY SCHOLARS IN RELA- 
TION TO BAPTISM. 

TITY Young Friends : I intend to address you, 
l'l this morning, on the subject of baptism. As 
the rite is one of a very solemn character, it is 
Important that you should well understand it. In 
speaking to you on the subject, therefore. I will 
endeavor to suit my language to your capacities, 
and to express myself as plainly as possible. Let 
me have your serious attention then for a short 
time ; and" may God bless what I shall say, to your 
good. 

You will understand then, dear children, that 
baptism is the appointed way of admission into the 
church — the door of admission, as it were. The 
church is a visible society of faithful people— of 

(291) 



292 APPENDIX. 

those who profess to live after the example of 
Christ. Now, in order for persons to get into this 
society, they must be baptized. And the reason 
why they must receive the rite is, because Christ 
has enjoined it upon all his followers. He himself 
submitted to it, and did so mainly to set an exam- 
ple of obedience to God's commands. Indeed, he 
has intimated that unless we receive the ordinance 
we cannot be saved — that is, when the same can 
be had, and is wilfully neglected. " He that believ- 
eth and is baptized" says the Savior, " shall be 
saved." " Except a man be born of water and of 
the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of 
God." You see, then, how important the rite is, 
and how dangerous it is to neglect it. I hope that 
such of you, therefore, as have not yet been bap- 
tized will think seriously of the subject, and en- 
deavor to prepare yourselves as soon as possible for 
the due reception of the ordinance ; and thus in- 
troduce yourselves into the family of God, and be- 
come partakers of all the blessings and privileges 
of the gospel. 

By baptism, children, we enter into covenant-^ 
into agreement with God. Now, what the nature 
of this is, you doubtless all know. God agrees, on 
his part, to wash away all our sins, to renew and 
purify our hearts by the Holy Ghost, to admit us 
into his church militant here upon earth, to entitle 
us to all its glorious blessings and privileges, and 
finally to take us into his church triumphant in 
heaven. We, on our part, agree to separate our- 
selves from this wicked world, to renounce its sin- 
ful pleasures and pursuits, and to live soberly, 
righteously, and godly in the world ; to manifest 
to the world about us, by the purity and holiness 
of our lives, that we are indeed " the sons and 



ArrEXPix. 293 

daughters of the Almighty " — fl peculiar people, 
bound by baptismal obligations to devote ourselves 
wholly to his service, and to let our liyht shine to 
his praise and glory. 

•Such is the nature of the agreement between God 
and baptized persons. And a most solemn one it 
is; on which account it should not he entered into 
rashly or inconsiderately. Before individuals re- 
ceive baptism, therefore, they should carefully con- 
sider the nature of its obligations and sincerely 
determine to live in strict accordance with the same. 
For unless they do so, unless their lives correspond 
with their profession, unless they approve them- 
selves Christ's faithful soldiers and servants, their 
baptism will he of no advantage to them, but, on 
the contrary, will only add to their condemnation. 

Hence it is that the church requires suitable 
qualifications on the part of those who thus offer 
themselves as candidates ft;- this ordinance. What 
thc>e are, 1 will now proceed to tell you. 

The qualifications alluded to are repentance and 
faith. Persons coming to be baptized must eome 
with penitent hearts — with hearts deeply sensible 
of their sinfulness, and of their need of forgiveness, 
and they must be determined to live in strict obe- 
dience to the will of God. They must be willing 
to renounce all the sinful pleasures and practices 
of the world, to place their affections supremely 
upon God and heaven, and not only to be harmless 
and blameless in their lives, but to let their light 
shine to the praise and glory of the divine grace. 
And when they present themselves before the min* 
ister of God for baptism, they must, in the presence 
of God and the congregation of his people, make an 
open confession of their faith in him. and of their 
desired devotion to him und in his service ; being 



294 APPENDIX. 

willing to enlist under his banners against sin, the 
world, and the devil, and to continue his faithful 
soldiers and servants to their life's end. When 
they arc ready to do this, — when they are ready 
to make the full surrender of themselves, soul and 
body, to God, and solemnly to pledge themselves 
to the performance of his will, — then it is that 
they are qualified to be baptized, and to be admit- 
ted into the family of God. And then baptism is 
of real advantage to them, inasmuch as it confers 
upon them all the blessings and privileges of the 
covenant of grace in Christ Jesus. " Sprinkled 
with the baptismal water, all their sins are washed 
away, the grace of adoption descends upon them, 
and they are received as the children of God; 
born of God — born of water and of the Spirit — 
regenerated, forgiven, washed, sanctified, the heirs 
of eternal glory." 

From what has been said in reference to the sub- 
ject of baptism, you must have perceived, my dear 
young friends, that its privileges are great, and that 
the responsibilities imposed upon its recipients are 
very solemn. As the majority of you have already 
received he ordinance, I shall now make a few re- 
marks of a practical character, by way of appro- 
priate conclusion. 

And how can I better commence than in the 
words of the apostle — " Beloved, now are ye the 
children of God," " the sons and daughters of the 
Almighty," privileged to look up to him as to a 
Tather — the Spirit in your hearts witnessing with 
your spirit that ye are his children, and disposing 
you at all times to approach him with filial love 
and confidence, and to cry, " Abba, Father " ? What 
a privilege this ! especially when connected with 
the fact, that if children, then " heirs," heirs with 



APPENDIX. 295 

Christ of all the glories and felicities of heaven. 
Truly may we exclaim with the apostle. " "What 
manner of love is this that the Father hath be- 
stowed upon us ! " " 0, the height, and depth, and 
length, and breadth of the love of God ! how un- 
fathomable his love ! how great his goodness ! " 

My dear young friends, can any of you think of 
this amazing love and condescension of your heav- 
enly Father towards you, without feeling prompted 
to give utterance to sentiments of a character sim- 
ilar to what is expressed in your Sunday School 
Hymn ? 

' ; Great God, and wilt thou condescend 
To be our Father and our Friend'? 
Poor children we, and thou so high — 
The Lord of earth, and air, and sky. 

" Art thou our Father ! Let us, then, 
Be obedient children unto thee ; 
And strive in word, and deed, and thought, 
To serve and please thee as we ought." 

Yes, children, let such indeed be your conduct. 
u Be followers of God, as dear children," and 
" walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are 
called." " Live as children of light," and let 
" your light so shine, that others, seeing your good 
works, may glorify your Father which is in heav- 
en." Bearing on your foreheads the cross of 
Christ, the emblem of your religion, let " Holi- 
ness to the Loed " be visibly inscribed there, as 
well as upon all your conduct. Put on " holiness 
as a garment, and array yourselves in the vesture 
of righteousness." Let the lovely image of your 
Savior be formed in your souls, and shine resplen- 



296 APPENDIX. 

dent in your characters. Like him, as you increase 
in stature, increase in grace and wisdom, and adorn 
his doctrine in all things. Yes, and let the cross, 
the token of your profession, which you hear on 
your brow, be your glory and your boast ; and 
ever fight manfully, and as good soldiers, the fight 
of faith, looking unto Jesus, the Captain of your 
salvation, for strength and ability to do so. 

Strong in the Lord of hosts. 

And in his mighty power, 
Who in the strength of Jesus trusts 

Is more than conqueror. 

Stand then in his great might, 
With all his strength endued ; 

And take, to arm you for the fight, 
The panoply of God. 

Thus do, my young friends ; and then, when ye 
shall have " fought the fight, and have finished 
your course," it shall be your happy privilege to 
receive that " crown of righteousness," which God 
hath promised to those who serve him ; as well, 
also, the joyful commendation, " Well done, good 
and faithful servants, enter into the joy of your 
Lord." May this be the happy privilege of all 
present. 

ADDRESS TO ONE WHO HAS JUST BEEN BAP- 
TIZED. 

pHRISTIAN soldier, on thy brow 
^ Rests the seal of glory now; 
Thou art offered at the shrine 
Of thy Savior's love divine ; 



APPENDIX. 

Thou art entered for the strife. 
Glorious fight for crown and life ■, _ 
Raised from death, from wrath, and sin, 
Raised to conquer all through Him. 
Christian soldier, thine must be 
One deep strife for mastery, 
For that sign of love will bring 
Foes around thee, swift of wing — 
Powers of darkness, strong and wild, 

Foes who hate thee, Christian child ; 

Ever near thee, gazing now 

On that fair and holy brow, 

Hating with a lost one's hate, 

Armed with death and power they wait 

Armed with terror's sword, I see 

Enemies to God and thee. 

Christian soldier, thou must fight 
'Neath that banner morn and night ; 
Thou must watch, a soldier true, 
In the lists of heaven and you. 
Fight and conquer, strive and win ; 
War with Satan, wrath, and sin ; 
War with death, for Christ will save 
Thee from terror, from the grave. 
Trust in greater strength than thine ; 
Victory waits thee — love divine. 
Eere thy path is cold and drear, 
Sin, temptations, all are near ; 



297 



298 APPENDIX. 

Here an everlasting fight 
'Gainst the power of woe and night ; 
But thy weapons, firm and sure, 
Will from age to age endure ; 
Given when the darkness lay 
On Mount Calvary, that day 
When a weeping world could see 
There the sinner saved and free j 
Given by a bleeding Lord, 
Dipped in fountains of his blood. 

Christian soldier, triumph now, 
Gaze in faith upon that brow ; 
There the crown of thorns behold, 
Ransomed not by pearls or gold. 
Ransomed one, look up and see 
Who hast died to set thee free ; 
View thy foes all trembling stand, 
Shrinking from an angel band 
That surround the dying one— * 
God's almighty, suffering Son. 
See ! they dare not meet thee now, 
As at Jesus' feet you bow : 
See ! they leave thee, backward fall, 
As you whisper, Christ, is all. 
Fear them not — thy fight and strife 
Is for everlasting life ! 
Faith can show me thy fair hair, 
Crowned with glory, bright and fair j 



APPENDIX. 299 

Radiant wings, and lips which sing 
Ever to thy heavenly King. 
Forth then, soldier, on thy way 
To the realms of perfect day ! 
Forth then. Christian soldier, go 
On thy narrow path below ! 
Soon this checkered life will end. 
Soon thou'lt meet a changeless Friend ; 
Short the time, and all will prove 
Peace, and joy, and endless love. 
Go, rejoicing on thy way, 
Triumphing with seraph's lay ; 
Bidding all thy foes begone, 
Strong in Christ, young Christian, on ! 
Girt with power, as a sword, 
Born to conquer in thy Lord. 



THE 

CHRISTIAN'S COMPANION 

TO TIIK 

SICK AND AFFLICTED. 



Messrs. Stanford and Swords have just 
issued a work with the above title, which 
is said to be one of the lest devotion il 
works of the I'iml. It is designed for the 
of the Clergy, Sunday School teachers, and 
all such as may be disposed to minister to the 
relief of those in adversity; also for the af- 
flicted themselves. " To them," says a re- 
viewer of the work, "it cannot be too highly 
recommended, as there is not in my opinion 
its equal of a similar character extant." 
The following extracts from "the opinion' of 
the work" will serve to show more fully its 
character. 

" The character of the book, the end it has 
in view, and its comprehensiveness, so varied 
and so complete, will render it adequate to Jill 
that void which has been so often felt by the 
benevolent Christian in the discharge of his 
duties among the sick and afflicted." 

"The Prayers form the best collection I 



2 OPINIONS OF THE CLEEGY. 

have ever read In their variety they 

embrace almost every exigency in human life." 

"The Sunday School teacher and scholar 
will also here find the most beautiful and ap- 
propriate prayers for their use and benefit." 

" The Reading Matter of the work, inter- 
spersed with appropriate and beautiful poetry, 
is a Casket of Jewels that can make even the 
pallid brow radiant with beaming hope and 
joy." 



OPINIONS OF THE CLEEGY. 

Extract from Letter of Bishop Wainicright. 
" My time has been so occupied that I have not 
been able to give the volume a sufficient examina- 
tion to enable me to speak of it from knowledge. 
The design is good, and if judiciously executed, the 
book must be useful." 

Extract from Letter of Bishop Burgess. 
" The design, tenor, and general execution of the 
work, are excellent ; its doctrinal tone seems emi- 
nently pure, and I cannot doubt that it will be 
found a precious comfort in many a chamber of 
sickness and sorrow." 

Letter of Bishop Whitehouse. 

"Gentlemen: I have read the 'Christian's 
Companion,' which you did me the favor of sending, 



OPINIONS OK THE CLERGY. 3 

and cheerfully add my mite of commendation as a 
work admirably conceived and executed. 

" I shall endeavor to extend the use of it, with 
thankfulness to its author; and the etrtawrUy of Us 
doing good in. a form ami spirit for which I know no 
substitute." 

Extract from Letter of the Rev. James Chapman. 
" I consider this little work as the best devotional 
book for general use of all the numerous produc- 
tions of the kind which I possess, or have read. 
Well is this Manual calculated to benefit both the 
tmdersta?iding and the heart of all who use it as an 
aid to devotion. The miscellaneous selections of 
reading matter are the best that I have seen for 
edification of readers in the true faith of the Gos- 
pel and in holiness of life. I hope that effectual 
measures will be taken for the general diffusion of a 
work so well calculated for the promotion of Chris- 
tian knowledge and piety." 

Extract from Letter of Bishop Doane. 
" So far as my occupations have allowed me to 
examine it, it seems to me to be in the words of the 
Prayer Book, and in its spirit. There can be no 
higher praise. I cheerfulhj recommend it. And let 
me add, it delights me to recognize the hand of an 
old acquaintance in a work so pure." 

Letter of Bishop Brownell. 
" Gentlemen : My eyesight is so poor that I have 
not been able to give more than a cursory look into 
the beautiful little book you sent me. 



4 OPINIONS OF THE CLERGY. 

" I would think it an excellent family book, par- 
ticularly in seasons of affliction and sickness : while 
it must be a valuable aid to clergymen in the per- 
formance of their pastoral duties." 

Extract from Letter of the Rev. W. E. Wyatt, D. D. 
"It is valuable as an instrument of much good 
in a department not amply provided for. As far as 
my opportunity has allowed me to become ac- 
quainted with it, it appears to me sound in princi- 
ple, fervent in the tone of 'its piety , and judicious in 
language and style. I trust that its author will de- 
rive from this, and his other offices of charity, the 
best recompense of his faith." 

Extract from Letter of the Rev. E. H. Canfield. 

" It has fewer defects, and more excellencies, 
than any work of the kind I have ever seen ; and I 
most cordially subscribe to the ' Opinion of the 
Work,' which precedes the Preface." 

Letter of Rev. John S. Sto?ie, D.D., Broohline, Mass. 

" Gentlemen : I have read considerable portions 
of ' The Companion,' and am led to believe that a 
perusal of the whole would justify the elaborate 
' Opinion of the Work ' prefixed to the author's 
Preface. In its variety, as well as in its evangelical 
spirit, it supplies a want which many have felt, and 
may be used with comfort, and to edification, both 
to those who give and to those who receive the 
ministries of Christian consolation and instruction, 
amid ' the changes and chances of this mortal 
life.' " 



OPINIONS 01 THE I LEEGY. 

Extract from LetterofRev. Thomas Atkinson, /'./>. 
" 1 have examined ' The Companion,' and am on 

the whole very much pleased with it. The ex; 
sion on 64th page I would omit—' they with us.' It 
favors a practice unauthorised by our Churcl . 
susceptible of gross ahua fthe 

book is, however, altogether free from exception on 
this (/round, and is, I think, admirable. Its varied 
prayers, taken, most of them, from the best sources, 
. a icant often felt both by Clergy and Laity, 
specially by the latter, in seasons of sickness 
and trouble." 

Her of Rev. H. M. Mason, Easton, 

Maryland. 

" In its tone, it is truly saintly. It is of that 
class of works in which the soul delights to refresh 
itself from the perplexities of life, and the elemental 
strife of controversy. Its odor is of heaven for the 
chamber of the sick. It is not a work of which it 
would be becoming to speak in the language of lit- 
erary panegyric. In any devotional book there 
must either, directly or indirectly, be conveyed 
some doctrinal teaching, but he who is most alive 
to the interest of Christ and his Church, will find 
in this volume nothing that is not fitted to increase 
his affection for both. I know not its author, but 
he cannot be otherwise than * * * * who has pre- 
pared .so well a book, which so fills the mind of the 
reader with the desire at least of growing in good- 
ness. I could wish that the office, in full, for the 
Visitation of the Sick, had been added. It is super- 
fluous to say, with such an appreciation of the vol- 



O OPINIONS OF THE CLERGY. 

time, that I heartily wish it success, and that the 
author may find his reward in time, as well as in 
eternity, in the blessing of many a world-wearied 
heart, and in the divine approbation to a good and 
faithful servant." 

Extract of Letter of the Rev. Wm. I. Kip, Albany. 

" I have examined the ' Companion' with much 
pleasure, and consider it the best collection of 
prayers for the sick and afflicted with which I 
have met. They are admirably selected, and seem 
to contain every variety, adapted to all cases. It 
will be particularly valuable to the cleryy in their 
pastoral labors. It is published, too, in a way to 
form a beautiful volume." 



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